Persona: Frequency
by Mystery Monday
Summary: There's a rumour going around in Falcon City. It's said that if you tune your radio to the right frequency at the right spot, you'll be transported to the monstrous world of the shadows. Don't believe it? Tune in and see if there's any truth to the tale that's got the whole city on the edge of its seat.
1. Chapter I

Alright. So this was actually a story that i started a few years ago when i was like hugely into writing. I never really planned it out and kind of made it up as i went along, and the story was, like, endless. Or at least as long as one of the persona games, and no one has time for that. I had to focus on other things and just sort of got bored of writing and never came back to this. But now, with renewed vigor and a reformed appreciation for the persona series, i'm giving it another shot. Plus, its something i can do which isn't coursework, so score. The idea is that it reflects the feel of the franchise. I always thought persona has sort of character sets that recur in each game. Certainly 3 and 4. Junpei is similar to Yosuke. Chie reminds me of Yukari, etc. etc. Its a cool thing that helps you feel like each story exists in the same universe, and thats what i wanted to reflect in this. Yes there are allot of things that are similar to the games in this, but thats because it should FEEL like these characters could plausibly exist in that universe. Don't expect lots of content in each chapter and I probably wont be very consistent in when i upload them because this is just something i'm doing when i have some time to kill, so please keep that in mind. Enough rambling. You all probably won't even read this. Especially not after this huge introduction I've plopped at the start of the first chapter, but hey.

Here goes.

* * *

**Persona: Frequency**

**C**hapter I: A Fresh Start.

***_Saturday, September 13__th__: Evening_***

At the age of 16, this long haul journey from Tokyo to Falcon City California was the first flight Jackson Blake had ever been on alone. This high in the sky, the sunlight was unhindered in its quest to pierce through the window that supported his weary head. Jackson was smaller then most. His hair was short and brown. The kind of brown that develops an orange hue at the height of summer. His headphones spat out the last few notes that the short battery life of the ipod they were attached to could muster as the pilot announced that he was about to begin landing procedures.

Jackson left the airport through a set of tall glass doors, with an intricate arch above them, which read 'Falcon City Airport.' The sun was blinding. A dramatic change to the thunderous rains he had grown used to over the past 5 years. He had to drop his bag to cover his eyes with his forearm. He could see towering buildings behind, and commuters in front. Falcon was a city in which the majority of California's radio programs were now recorded, and the skyline was defined not by its buildings, but by the radio satellites that stood atop them. His phone had full signal, but no messages or missed calls greeted him, nor did any friends or relatives. He knew no one in this city.

He checked the map next to the station, and worked out a way to the apartment his mother had rented him for the year. He wasn't comfortable with using public transport here straight away, so grabbed his bag and started off on foot, wandering slowly towards the fog of car exhausts that drastically shortened the distance between him and the horizon.

***_Late Night_***

The block with his apartment was huge, one of the tallest in the city. He was on the 5th floor, room 134. He found it, slid his keycard through the lock, and opened the door.

"Hello?" Someone shouted.

"Err, Hi." Jackson called back in nervous response.

"You the new guy?" His roommate appeared from another room. "I'm Alex, Alex Austyn." He was taller then Jackson. His hair was short, dark, and poorly kept, and he wore baggy jeans embraced by a long t-shirt under an undone white jacket.

"Jackson Blake." Jackson replied. "It's nice to meet you." They moved to the living room, where Alex was playing some kind of turn based RPG game.

"You moved from Japan, right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah."

"Man that's crazy. Why would you move?"

"My parents are getting divorced and they need to sort out legal issues so I'm staying out of their way for a year."

"Smart move. Your English is damn good."

"I'm not Japanese, haha. We moved there when I was, like, 10 or something. I was born in Boston."

"An East Coaster, huh? I'd keep that quiet at school. You are going to my school right? Royal Springs?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Nice! I moved here a week ago so I'm going to be new too." Alex smiled. It was a smile that put Jackson at ease. He wasn't going to be alone when he started school.

"Sounds good. I'm shattered though, so I'm gonna go sleep. It was nice meeting you." Jackson said as he gathered his things.

"Cool. Same." Alex returned intently to his video game. "Your room is the one at the end of the hall."

"Thanks."

***Sunday, September_ 14: Early Morning***_

Jackson woke at 8.30. He was glad it was a Sunday, because on any other day, he'd need to be in class in ten minutes time. He showered, dressed and made his way into the kitchen, where he found Alex sitting by the table, playing with an old yo-yo.

"Morning" Alex greeted.

"Y'alright." Jackson murmured. "That your yo-yo?" He asked.

"It was my Dad's, he gave it to me right before he died."

"Oh, sorry I didn't know." Jackson apologised awkwardly.

"Yea well, that was a while ago. He died when I was six." It seemed like Alex had dealt with this particular issue a long time ago. "He wasn't exactly the most memorable father figure. The legacy it seems he left, in fact, was if life gets tough. Kill yourself." There was a long silence that crept up Jackson's spine and looped in his brain. "Sorry. That was massively inappropriate haha" Alex recoiled.

"It's, ok. I get mad at my parents sometimes too." Jackson wasn't lying. It was because of his parents that he found himself here, away from his friends. He quickly changed the subject, "Are we the only ones in this apartment?"

"Oh err, no. The school owns two of the floors here. This is the guys' floor but we can't live here by ourselves until we're 18. So there's another guy who stays in this apartment, but he's hardly ever in. I've only seen him twice in the last couple weeks I've been here."

"What's his name?"

"Raymond Oz. He goes by Ray."

"Sounds like a real character" Jackson trailed the conversation off and made himself some breakfast.

_ ***Evening***_

_'-with sunny spells throughout. That concludes today's forecast, and now, the local news.'_

"Dude, it's starting!" Alex called. "If you haven't heard about the _forgotten frequency_, then you don't belong in Falcon City."

Jackson took a seat. "I'm quaking in my boots." He joked.

The news was boring and melancholy. A small man with grey hair and a round face sat behind a desk with a pile of papers. His voice was clear and precise, and he rarely changed his facial expression. The more serious stories ended, and the host turned on to less pressing headlines.

"A strange rumour has been plaguing the citizens of Falcon City, or as it's more locally known 'Frequency Central' for the last few weeks," said the man, "a rumour that if you stand near the centre of the city, namely _the star's satellite_ and listen to a radio at an exact frequency, strange monsters known as Shadows start to appear and 'hunt' for you. They call this the _forgotten frequency_. Of course it's a just a fictional rumour, but many young children in the city have been missing school because they are sick with worry about the whole thing."

Alex turned the TV off. "Of course they don't broadcast the best bits," he looked a little disappointed.

"What are the 'best bits'?" Jackson asked.

"Well," Alex was suddenly more enthusiastic, "People have started turning up at the hospitals with amnesia ever since the rumour started. All they remember hearing is a voice, and static. You know the fuzzy sound on the radio?"

"Yea, I know. But what does that have to do with anything?" Jackson was starting to loose faith in the story.

"That's the good part, you see. Beause everyone is saying that the Shadows feed on peoples' minds!" Alex's eyes seemed wider than the sockets in which they were cupped.

"… Like a Zombie?"

"No idiot, Zombies eat people's brains, not their minds!" Alex seemed amazed that anyone could make this mistake.

"What's the difference?" Jackson, it must be said, was not as amazed. The rest of the night was spent arguing about the difference between Zombies and Shadows, and after a long discussion, the two decided to agree to disagree, and went to bed.


	2. Chapter II

**C**hapter II: The Forgotten Frequency.

_***Monday, September 15: Morning***_

Royal Springs was a large school. An old building in a modern city. The tall gates opened to a long passageway, decorated with trees and flowers, which ended at the towering double doors made of thick wood, with the school's badge taking pride of place above the frame.

Jackson was in 3b, along with Alex. They chose to sit next to each other, as they knew no one else.

"Nice! Looks like we're in the same class!" said Alex, "this is gonna be fun!

"As fun as Californian high school can be." Jackson remarked nervously.

Alex didn't reply. Their teacher was a tall man with little to no hair. His eyes were those of vultures. The kind you remember as always staring at you, even if their owner had their back turned.

"Hello, class. I can see a lot of empty seats today. Lucky its not the first day of term or anything." the voice was course and worn. "I'm you're new teacher. Aren't you lucky? Assembly starts in five. I trust you all know the way."

As the class was leaving, Jackson noticed a girl looking at him. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry, you're the new guy right?" she looked embarrassed. She was wearing the school uniform over a green, skinny fit turtleneck shirt. Her hair was long and lightly coloured, and she had a pleated skirt.

"Yeah, I'm Jackson, and this is Alex. We're roommates," Jackson answered. "What was your name again?"

"Ah, sorry, yeah. Well my full name is Samantha Jane de Beulieu." There was a pause. "Yes my family is French, and yes they are comparatively wealthier than most."

"I wasn't going to say anything" Jackson smiled uncomfortably.

"But I go by Sam, so hopefully that's easier to remember."

"Much" Alex Muttered.

"I live in the school flats too. We're practically related, heehee," Sam seemed a little uncomfortable.

Jackson entered the school hall with Sam and the rest of his class. He found a seat next to Alex.

The hall was a large room with dim lights hanging from a yellowing ceiling. The walls were red, and the curtains orange. Someone had clearly gone all out with the colour scheme. The stage at the front was tall and long, with a small podium at the centre, bearing the school's badge.

A small man walked on to the stage and approached the podium. "Ahem! Err is this thing on? Welcome back, students, to Royal Springs High school. I'm sure any newcomers will be happy here over the next year and I hope you can all get along well. I am of course the school's principal, Roy Carlson." The man had thin grey hair and was small and fat. He had a moustache and wore round glasses that looked like they needed constant cleaning. No such attention was given to them by Roy, however, who endeavoured to squint on through his speech.

After the assembly the students were dismissed, and Jackson went back to his homeroom to collect his bag. He checked his _student help sheet _from the package he had been given and headed to his next lesson: Biology.

Alex had opted to take physics instead of biology, and the only person Jackson knew in this class was Sam. He had some questions about Falcon City that he wanted answering, so he sat with her.

"So, did you watch the news last night?" Jackson asked.

"The thing about the _forgotten frequency_?"

"Yea"

"It's a load of crap if you ask me"

Jackson thought about how he may be coming across and dialled back a little. "I was just worried cause of all the people ending up in hospital here recently. Maybe it has nothing to do with it. Still, I'd like to check it out."

"I guess you think you have a fresh perspective coming from out of town." Sam frowned. "Don't get caught up in the craziness that this place attracts. I mean you don't honestly intend to sit in the middle of town, trying to find a radio frequency that probably doesn't exist?"

"Yep that was the plan. Wanna tag along?"

"You mean with you?" Sam was clearly against the idea… "Sure."

"Err… are you serious?"

"I'd just like to see the look on you're face when you realise that you were wrong…" Sam sneered. "Then maybe you'll forget about it all and people wont think you're mental. I'm only helping you fit in." She smiled.

"Ok, then we'll meet outside the school gates after class. I'll tell Alex."

"He's coming too?" Sam was no longer smiling.

_***After school***_

After meeting at the gates, Jackson instructed Sam to lead the way to _the star's satellite, _as she was the only one who knew how to get around town. They arrived and each of them took a radio out of their bags. _The star's satellite _was exactly at the centre of the city and stood taller then any other object in Frequency Central. It was a radio tower with a star symbol on the framework, halfway up the front face. It had become something of a tourist attraction, especially because of the new rumours, and so there were benches and shops around it.

"Wow! I've never been here before!" Alex was stumbling around in noticeable enthusiasm.

"Calm down idiot, you'll attract attention." Sam was opting to try looking as casual as possible.

"Alright, lets sit over there," suggested Jackson, who was getting agitated about testing out the rumour.

They sat where he had pointed (a small wooded bench next to the tower, facing the arcade.) and began searching through the frequencies on their radio sets.

All that could be heard was white noise, interrupted by the occasional DJ talking to his fans about new music.

"Feeling silly yet chaps?" Sam smirked "I knew we wouldn't find anything."

"We've only been here for like thirty seconds, give it a minute." Said Alex.

"Ugh fine. But I'm gonna go get a drink, you want one?" Sam asked Jackson.

Alex butted in, "why yes, I'll have a mad bull"

"I don't think I was asking you." Sam looked annoyed.

"I'm fine thanks." Said Jackson.

Sam wandered off.

"She's getting me that mad bull, right?" Asked Alex

"Not even a little bit." Jackson chuckled.

"Fine, I'll get it myself!" He stormed off in the direction of the nearest stall.

_***Evening***_

"Sigh, Dude how long are you gonna take?!" Alex was getting restless.

"Just a minute, we'll be done soon." Jackson, however, was still determined.

"You said that like 3 hours ago!"

"Calm down! We'll leave in a minute." Jackson was getting angry now.

"Alex, if you want you can just leave," said Sam, "I'll stay here with Jackson."

"Err, no! If you're staying here, then I'm staying too. It wouldn't be safe for you to be out alone at night." Alex was standing proud, with his hands on his hips.

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Sam had forgotten about her radio, along with Alex, and was engaging in some form of menacing staring contest with him.

"Guys wait I think I'm getting something!" Jackson stood up fast, with his radio at the ready.

"Are you serious? Holy crap!" shouted Alex, "Turn it up!"

"I know, I know" Jackson turned the volume dial as far as he could.

…

"All I hear is static." Sam was not amused.

"I swear I heard something!" said Jackson, solemnly.

"It was probably some random DJ," Alex said

"It was not!" Jackson was defensive, "Just listen!" The radio was fussing and buzzing to the tune of nothingness. Occasionally the three could catch the start of a word or the brief end of a sentence.

But then they could hear full words. Short words, but words nonetheless.

"What is that," Sam leaned an ear towards the speaker, "that doesn't sound human."

Now the strange voice began to string words together. A sudden silence occurred, and it was these words that broke that silence. "Found you." It came from the strange voice on the radio and after that all that was heard was static.

"What the-" Alex looked scared, "that's messed up!" he ran off. Sam followed.

Jackson was finding it hard to admit that he too was scared by what he had heard and he dropped the radio as he ran after the others.

It smashed on the ground and all was silent.


	3. Chapter III

**C**hapter III: Raymond Oz

_***Tuesday September 16: Early Morning***_

The three went straight back to the apartments after the previous day's incidents. They didn't talk about what they had heard. Sam, who lived on another floor to the boys, had told them that they would meet at 8:15 sharp the following morning. It had come to such a time, and Alex and Jackson were enjoying their breakfast and listening to one of the many, many stations on the kitchen radio.

"You're sure we didn't have to remember anything today?" Jackson asked.

"Positive," said Alex, "why?"

"I don't know. I just get the feeling that I'm forgetting something."

"Shame. Well I'm sure it was just homework or something."

"It's our second day at a new school, we don't have homework"

"We do," said Alex, over a rather large spoonful of cereal. "Maths."

"Crap, really?"

The doorbell rang. "It's probably Ray. I'll get it." Said Alex, as he got up to answer the door.

It opened to an angry looking Sam, who was thrusting her watch in Alex's face.

"What time do you call this?!" She asked.

"Err, half past. Why?" Alex replied.

"Because we were supposed to meet her at quarter past!" Jackson suddenly remembered. "That's what I had forgotten."

"Correct Jackson, you're of the hook." Sam smiled at Jackson.

"What? It's his fault too!" Alex protested as he grabbed his school bag.

"Chill out dude, we're going to be late." Jackson smirked.

"… What the hell just happened?" Alex asked himself as he locked the door and followed the others to school.

_***Morning***_

Biology greeted Sam and Jackson at the start of this day, and he used it as a chance to talk to her about what had happened the day before.

"So what do you think?" He asked.

"About what?" Sam looked confused.

"The _forgotten frequency!" _said Jackson, "What else?"

"Oh! I don't know." Sam said, "I think it was just some guy trying to be funny with a voice changer."

"Then why did you run?"

"I was scared! Yeah, it was a prank, but it was a cruel prank and it freaked me out." she was raising her tone to above a whisper, but still hissing each word, "so I ran."

"Sshhh, don't draw too much attention." Jackson pretended to do some work. "If you're that sure then you won't mind trying again, right? I remembered the frequency just in case."

"C'mon Jackson, you're not gonna drop this are you? It doesn't exist!"

"Alright. Look, I'll give it one more try. If nothing happens, then we can drop it." He felt like he was pleading.

"I'll think about it."

The rest of the day flowed like any other day. With Alex annoying Sam, Jackson getting lost around school and having to ask Sam to help him out, and the three of them talking about the rumours.

_***Evening***_

Jackson headed to _the stars satellite, _so that he could test his memory for directions. He ordered a coffee from a small shop with self proclaimed 'charming coffee' and left for the tram station. On his way, he found Alex talking to a senior from the school. The senior was tall and wore glasses. He had noticeably smart attire.

"Hey Alex, what are you doing?" Jackson asked as he walked over to the two.

"Oh, hey dude, this is Ray, the guy that lives in our apartment." Alex said.

"Hi. I'm Jackson Blake, nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Alex." Jackson introduced himself.

"Likewise." Ray smiled. He gave off a calm aura that was welcoming if a little sly, "I'm Raymond Oz. You moved back from Japan, right?"

"Yeah."

"I have some advice, move back. This place ain't all fun and games." He looked serious. "The novelty wears off, and it dawns on you. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes." He stared at Jackson with eyes like something from another world. They pierced his soul.

Jackson stumbled. "What?"

"Hahaha, just kidding. Man, you looked freaked out!" Ray laughed as a childish smile tore across his face.

"Yeah, hah." Jackson chuckled with deliberate sarcasm. "Hilarious."

"Well, I gotta go. You kids have fun. Glad to finally meet you, Jackson." He said as he disappeared around the corner."

The two headed back to the apartments.

"So that's our other roommate?" Jackson asked.

"It is indeed." Alex replied.

"He's.. err.. interesting."

"He's a nice guy." Alex laughed. "He just has a way of not being as funny as it would seem he would like."

"That's one way to describe it" Jackson chuckled. "Listen, what're you doing tomorrow?"

"Same thing we do everyday, pinky. Eat junk food and play video games. Why?"

"Good, you can come with me and Sam and try to check out that _forgotten frequency_ again." Jackson proposed.

"Greaaaat." Alex seemed less enthusiastic. "I'll make sure to bring a book this time."

"Haha, ok. Bring a weapon too."

"A weapon?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. Something to defend yourself with. Just in case."

"Sure. Sure." Alex laughed under his breath as they boarded a tram back to the apartment.

***_Wednesday, September 17: Lunchtime_***

Jackson ate his lunch on the roof with Sam and Alex. The sun was just as determined as every other day in Falcon City. Cracking skin and boiling tarmac as it shone down on the three teenagers. But the September breeze brought a welcome sigh of relief each time it drifted by, and the residents of Frequency Central were used to this kind of heat.

"So you're really convinced by this _forgotten frequency_ aren't you?" Sam asked.

"No. Not totally. But it's like you said, Alex, you don't belong in Falcon City if you haven't heard of the _forgotten frequency_." Said Jackson, "I just want to check it out. If it is just a guy playing a prank, then wouldn't it be cool if we figured out who he was and revealed him to the city?"

"That's true." Alex said. "But then why did you make us come armed? All I could find that wouldn't look suspicious was my drum sticks."

"Good luck fending off monsters with those." Jackson laughed. "Well it can't hurt to be prepared. If there is a guy at the other end of that frequency then he'd be facing some kind of backlash by the press if not the police. He may not come quietly."

"I hadn't thought of it like that." Sam admitted. "I have a baseball bat in my locker."

"I brought this, because I could fold it in to my bag." Jackson said, whilst removing a folded music stand from the bottom of his bag.

The bell rang at that moment, warning all students to get to their respective classes.

"Okay, so we'll meet at the Star's Satellite after school?" Said Jackson.

"Sure, I'll be there" Sam replied.

"Me too." Alex added.


	4. Chapter IV

**C**hapter IV: Persona

_ ***After School***_

Sam was already waiting at the Star's Satellite with her baseball bat when Jackson arrived. Alex clearly hadn't made it yet.

"Hi Jackson!" Sam looked happy. "Brainless isn't here yet."

"No, I can see that. I think he had a detention or something."

"What? He's been at school for like 3 days."

"Well that's three more then he needs, apparently." There was an energy about the place. It was at the centre of the city, and the area surrounding the satellite itself was busy with people. The sky was as clear as it ever was. A vibrant blue that was renewed in the windowpanes and the towering glass buildings of the city, broken apart by satellite towers. It felt as if the city had been built so that it would reflect the most amount of sunlight possible into the eyes of it's residents.

"So what are we going to do while we wait?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna get a coffee. You want something?"

"No, but I'll come with." Sam seemed welcome of the company.

They talked over coffee for a while until Alex finally arrived. It turns out he was late because he had been in detention for being late. Jackson noted the irony.

"Alright, are we gonna do this, or what?" Sam asked. "I have things to do, sooo."

"Let's. You've all got your things right?" said Jackson, removing the music stand from his school bag.

Sam brandished her baseball bat in response.

"Err, yea" Alex feebly took his drumsticks out and put his bag with the others.

"Then let's do this!" Said Jackson, turning the dial on his radio to the correct Frequency.

There was a long pause.

"Excellent. Can we go now?" Sam asked

"Damn. I'm sure it was this frequency." Jackson looked annoyed.

"Maybe it changes all the time?" Alex asked.

"In this city, there isn't enough free space on the airwaves for that." Sam noted.

"No, there's got to be something else we're missing." Jackson paced around a bit, listening intently to the static hissing from the speaker. "Exactly what spot were we when it happened last time?"

"We were over there by that bench." Alex pointed and the group moved over towards the bench that faced the arcade.

There was a distinct chill in the air here. A lingering sense of separation from the rest of the city. Jackson hadn't taken much notice of it the other day, but right now it hung in the back of his head like a pendulum. He swallowed deeply and lifted the radio to his ear.

There was a short pause before anything happened… then a voice came. The same voice as before. It muttered something that Jackson couldn't hear.

"What is it?" Sam asked. She had noticed how the colour had faded from Jackson's skin.

"Shh, I can hear something!" Jackson had his ear pressed hard against the radio.

"I don't think anything's going to happen." Sam stated.

"Give it here, I'll try!" Alex shouted, as he grabbed onto the radio, trying to pry it from Jackson's grasp.

"What difference does it make?!" Sam asked, before grabbing the radio herself, attempting to break the three up. They were all stood holding the radio as it emitted a harsh screech.

Suddenly, The world around them stopped. The clocks stopped ticking, and the people stopped talking, walking, and breathing. The lights went dark, and the sun hid behind thick, purple storm clouds. The fog of exhaust turned black and the stench in the air rippled through their nostrils.

"Whoa!" said Jackson, a big smile on his face, "I told you it was true!"

"Nice! It's like a whole other world!" Alex was looking at the sky. Sam, however, was speechless, and stood staring at the edge of the road.

"This, this is messed up." Jackson said as the smile began slowly to shrink.

"It's cool!" Said Alex, "Right, Sam? There's no denying the rumours now!… Sam?"

Jackson and Alex turned to look at what Sam had been staring at.

At the entrance to The Star's Satellite, and its mall, was a small, dark shape, with bright red eyes. It froze them in place as they all stared into the shadows, trying to get a good look at the creature.

"Is that.. a shadow?" Alex asked.

The shape was a toxic black blob on the floor, with a mask, and two arms, which seemed to come out from under the floor.

"I think it probably is." Said Jackson, as he held his Music stand like a spear, gripping tightly to the sweat that lined it's metal frame.

Alex threw one of his drumsticks at the blob and it bounced off. This startled the shadow creature, and it began to crawl its way towards the group, by means of its two arms. It dragged itself across the floor like a demented torso and left a trail of black ooze behind it.

"Damn it Alex!" said Sam as she ran at the shadow with her bat clutched firmly at the ready.

"Sam, wait!" Jackson tried to stop her, but it was too late. She swung the bat down at the creature's head, and it splattered over the pavement.

"Critical hit!" she shouted at the top of her voice.

Jackson and Alex would have celebrated with her too, but they found themselves surrounded my shadows that seemed to appear out of the walls, or the floor, or the dense fog.

"Holy shi-" Sam began, but her voice left her in fear before it could complete its sentence.

"This is not good." Said Jackson. His knees began to shake, and he felt an uneasy sense of weakness. There was a sharp pain in his head, and he fell to his knees, loosing consciousness.

When he woke, he was in a place he had never been before. All that this place was, was white. A blinding, empty white that stretched unbroken farther then Jackson could see. He stood up and heard a strange, thundering voice.

_"Thou art I," _it said, _"and I am thou." _

_ "The suns and the stars have granted me strength, and you alone may harness that power."_

_ "I am Odysseus. Thou hast reached a great height". _

_ "What does thou treasure the most?"_

Jackson looked in his hand, and found a small stopwatch. He had all but forgotten about it. His father had given it to him before he left for California. It was given as a promise that everything would be all right. That no matter what happened, time would still tick on, and the world would still be there for Jackson and the limitless possibilities that he could face.

_"Call my name, if thou is worthy of strength." _Said the voice as the white began to darken into the dense horror of the scene facing Jackson and his friends.

Alex and Sam were hopelessly trying to fend off the shadows, and keep them away from Jackson, who lay helpless on the floor.

He stood up, with his head down, and opened his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a strange impulse. A surge in energy that raced around him, and almost instinctively, he pressed the small red button on his stopwatch.

Shards of glass shattered from his hand, and formed a star shape on the ground around his feet as blue light surrounded him.

"Dude?!" Alex turned on his heel and stared in awe.

Jackson said one word and one word alone in reply:

"**PERSONA.**"


	5. Chapter V

** C**hapter V: I Need Your Help.

A tall, dark figure appeared behind Jackson. It was draped in a long cape that was a cold black on the outside, but a dark orange on the inside. Its face was an emotionless metal mask that seemed to attach to its head without any straps or ties. Deep purple light seeped out of the eyeholes. The body was a dense black canvas riddled in stitches, and broken only by the orange star on its chest. In it's left hand there was a round wooden shield, and in it's right, a sword that shone like the eyes of its wielder.

_"Thou art I," _it said, in the same voice that Jackson had heard in that white abyss, _"and I am thou."_

_ "The sun's light reveals a crooked path, and we shall pave it together. I am Odysseus, guardian of the sea of thy soul."_

This figure was Jackson's 'persona', a manifestation of his personality capable of fighting the evil shadows.

The crowd of monsters began to crawl towards Jackson, but Odysseus acted first. The persona jumped past the three humans and swung its heavy sword at the shadows. Each shadow met the same end. Odysseus was killing them with ease, and they could barely get close enough to attack. Some of them began to transform into strange creatures, each with a different mask covering its face. But the persona took no notice, and sliced through them as if they were still a helpless blob on the floor.

"Nice!" Alex shouted over the sound of screaming shadows, "what is that thing!? It's killing the shadows!"

"I'm not sure." Said Jackson, "but I think it came from me."

"It came from that stopwatch." Sam stated.

"No. It talked to me before, when I passed out. I'm pretty sure it was me that made that thing appear." Jackson explained.

"Where did that stopwatch come from?" Alex asked, "You've never shown us that before."

"It was my Dad's. Well, it's a family air loom. Supposedly worth quite a bit. He gave it to me before I left." Jackson said.

"Oh right, because of the divorce."

"Not just that." It was looking like Jackson was finding it hard to talk about this, "My dad isn't doing very well with the divorce, and it looks like my mum might get full custody."

"And you're here for the whole trail period?" Sam asked.

"So I might not get to see my Dad again." Jackson explained, "plus, he's going to move to Germany next year, so I probably wont be able to visit him." Jackson looked upset.

"I hate my Mum, and now I hate my Dad for leaving. I like it here. It's better then returning to my dysfunctional family. Seeing this stopwatch again made me realise something. I want to stay here." There was a sense of determination creeping into Jackson's face, "It seems this _forgotten frequency _is real, and I'm betting the shadows are behind those amnesia cases. It's too big of a coincidence for them to not be. So, I want to use this new power, my persona, to fight these shadows. And I want to show my parents that I can survive on my own. I won't rest until I defeat every single one of the monsters, and save this town, my new home, from its curse. But.. I can't do it alone… and I need your help."

"Jackson.." Said Sam, in the caring and thoughtful way that only a friend could.

"Because I figure that it's what my Dad would want me to do." Jackson was steadfast in his determination. He knew now what he had to do and he had prepared himself for it.

Odysseus took care of the last few shadows, then looked at Jackson and nodded before disappearing into hundreds of green butterflies.

"Butterflies?" The three said in unison.

The tiny butterflies began to fly off, breaking a small part of the tormented purple skies.

Sam picked up the radio and turned it to a random station. The storm clouds began to part, and the sun shone on the city once more. Time began to start again, and anything to prove that the world beyond the _forgotten frequency_ existed faded away. The shoppers and passers by continued as if nothing had happened and the same sense of city life resumed unaltered.

"Wow." Said Sam, "The world is back to normal."

"I don't think we were in the real world just now." Jackson panted.

"So you're saying that the _forgotten frequency _is a different world?" Asked Alex, looking rather confused.

"Probably. Oh, and Sam?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah."

But before he could finish he felt the same sharp pain in the back of his head. His vision became blurry, and the noises of the city began to echo. The lights streamed passed his eyes as he fell to the ground. He was unconscious once again.

_***Saturday, September 20: Afternoon***_

Jackson woke in a hospital room. The ceilings were a faded white, along with the walls and the majority of other things in the room. There was a sterile smell in the air and the sheets were rough against his skin. Sam was sitting by his bed, and Jackson slowly turned his head to look at her.

"Oh my God you're awake!" She said, her eyes lighting up.

"Awake?" Jackson was confused, "How long have I been out."

Sam took no notice; she ran to the doorway and called for someone.

The tall boy with dark hair came bursting in, his face riddled with excitement. "Nice! He finally woke up!" Jackson's vision was still a little blurred, but he could tell that it was Alex.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked again.

"Only like three days, dude!" Alex was being a little loud, and it was hurting Jackon's head.

"Actually, it was around two days, since he collapsed quite late on Wednesday." Said Sam.

"So it's-" Jackson began.

"Saturday." Alex finished.

"Wow, I don't even remember passing out." Said Jackson, who was trying hard to remember anything that he could about what had happened.

"You don't remember?" Sam asked.

"You saved our asses, dude!" Alex was still shouting.

"From what?" Jackson looked lost.

"You really don't remember?" Alex asked.

"No," said Jackson.

"We'll talk about it when you get your memory back," Said Sam, who was trying to take a more caring approach, "The doctor did say you might take a while to remember everything before you passed out. How do you feel?"

"Umm, okay I guess. My head hurts, and I'm really tired." Said Jackson, "and I'm confused. But I think I'm fine."

"That's great news. I'll go tell the doctors you're awake." Said Sam, "I'm really glad you're okay."

Sam left the room, and Alex followed. The doctor came in a few moments later and ran a few tests. Jackson was unaware of how to answer the man's questions, and this made him a little uncomfortable. When the doctor had finished, he told Jackson that he would be able to leave in a few days if all goes well. He noted that he had no idea why Jackson had been unconscious, and that he was completely healthy, if a little exhausted. He had likely been worried that it would be another amnesia case.

Jackson sighed and tried to sleep, deciding that it would be better for him to rest before trying to remember the events that led to that moment.

The following days went by quite quickly. Sam stopped by every day after school, but Alex only came round once out of the three days. Jackson didn't mind, because it meant that he could learn more about Sam instead of Alex for a change.

_***Wednesday September 24: Morning***_

Jackson's doctor woke him, and informed him that it was the day he would be leaving the hospital. The man ran a few final tests before leaving Jackson to gather his things, and meet his friends outside. The three had been given the day off school. He left the busy hospital of panicked interns, and stressed patients, and stepped out into the warmth of that familiar sunlight. He was relieved to be outside once more, and even more relieved to see Sam and Alex waiting for him.

"You look dead," said Alex.

"It's nice to see you too, man." Said Jackson, who laughed along with Sam.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Not bad actually," said Jackson, "and I think I can pretty much remember what happened."

"Weird, huh?" Alex asked.

"A little, but when you consider the freak show that is California, it's not too hard to believe." The three laughed.

"C'mon, lets go." Said Sam. "We have the day off of school when everyone else doesn't. Let's not waste this opportunity.

"Good idea, and I have another." Alex suggested, "Pizza."

"Definitely!" Jackson smiled.

"Ooh! I know a great place!" Said Sam.

"Then lets not go there." Alex laughed, but the others didn't.

Jackson was glad that everything was back to normal, and he enjoyed spending some well earned time with his friends.


	6. Chapter VI

**C**hapter VI: The Mission.

_***Evening*** _

The party headed back to the boys' apartment as the day began to sink behind the horizon, and the pace of the city faded to a slow silence. Raymond Oz was sitting at the kitchen table, as if in waiting.

"Welcome home." He said, with the same straight smile that Jackson had remembered.

"Ray! You're like never here!" Alex seemed excited.

"You must be Samantha" Ray said, looking past Alex, "it's nice to meet you. I'm Raymond Oz."

"Err, hello. It's just Sam." She stood awkwardly in the corridor.

Jackson took a seat at the table, and invited Sam to sit next to him, "make yourself at home."

She sat on his left side, and Alex on his right.

"It's probably a good thing that you're all together actually." Said Ray, "I've been meaning to talk to you about last Wednesday."

The conversation stalled, and the three looked surprisingly at one another.

"What about it?" Alex asked.

"There's no need to act innocently with me." Ray began. "I know you've all been to that world. The _forgotten frequency_ is very real, and I am very much aware of it."

"You mean you've been there before?" Jackson was shocked. He'd been foolish. Of course there would be other's who had been there. Did this mean there were other persona users? Was Ray one of them? How many other people knew about it? Questions seemed to form themselves inside his head, but he had no way of answering them.

"Many times.." Ray admitted. He was beginning to make Jackson and the others nervous. "I was given a mission. Or rather, I gave myself a mission… But I failed. I lost hope. But now, you three have the chance that I wasted."

"So can you- err" Alex had to think about how to put his next few words, "can you do what Jackson did?"

"If you mean summoning a 'persona' then yes, I can. Or at least I could."

"You could?" Sam asked.

"I have lost that ability."

"You lost it?!" The three asked.

"How do you lose something like that? It's not a pair of socks." Alex continued.

"Yes, I lost it. But in order to explain how, there are a few things you all need to understand about the _forgotten frequency_. Those creatures in that world, the ones you fought? They are created from humans."

"Humans?" Sam asked.

"Yes. When ever a human feels sad or unsure, or a great many other negative emotions in this world, a shadow is born in that world." Ray explained.

"How does this have anything to do with your 'persona' or whatever it's called?" Alex was clearly impatient.

"I'm getting to that. In order to summon a persona, you have to control your inner shadow; the true emotions inside of you that you try to ignore or hide. To do this, you must first find your 'evoker'."

"Evoker?" Jackson asked, "I don't remember that, and I don't remember controlling my shadow."

"Your evoker is usually something that you hold close to your heart. Something that means a lot to you." Ray explained.

"Your stopwatch!" Alex said, a proud realization darting into his face.

"Oh, err I guess." Said Jackson.

"Ok, so your stopwatch is your evoker. Now, controlling your shadow does not necessarily mean being happy all the time. In order to summon a persona, you must accept something about yourself. Maybe something that you have been keeping a secret." Ray explained.

"Oh. About my family?" Jackson asked.

"Quite possibly" Ray nodded, "Facing your inner shadow self and accepting it gives birth to you persona. Now that you have awakened the power of 'persona', you can summon it by means of your evoker."

"So how did you lose your persona?" Alex asked again.

"Well, controlling your shadow is only the beginning. If you let the power it grants you control you, then the shadow inside of you begins to take over once more. I'm ashamed to say that I took the power of persona for granted, and I lost sight of the reasons why I had taken control of my shadow in the first place. This means that my evoker no longer has any real relevance to me, and I can no longer use it to summon my persona."

"So that's why you failed in your mission." Sam finished.

"Yes. That's why I needed to talk to you." Ray explained.

"You want us to finish the job for you." Jackson stated.

"But how? Why us three?" Alex asked, "Jackson's the only one with a persona."

"No, he's is the only one who has shown that he has the potential to summon a persona." Ray corrected.

"The potential?" Sam asked.

"All humans have the potential to summon a persona. However, some have more of a chance than others. Jackson here has already shown that he has high potential. For you two, it is just a matter of time before you show the strength of your resolve."

"You mean, we can summon a persona?" Alex was suddenly exited.

"There is quite a high chance." Ray said, "and when you do, you can complete my mission."

"What is your mission?" Jackson asked.

"To close the gateway between this world and the world of the shadows for good." Ray looked proud.

"How do we do that?" Sam asked.

"Well. There are different types of shadow. Some are stronger than others." Ray began.

"How do we tell the difference?" Jackson asked.

"Shadows and persona's are split in to different categories, each representing a certain 'Arcana'."

"Like Tarot cards." Said Sam.

"Exactly. These, however, do not necessarily tell you the strength of the shadow, and we need to find the strongest shadow of all." Said Ray, "the voice that you hear on the radio before entering the shadow channel is the voice of this shadow. It's called the Archangel, and it runs that world and the _forgotten frequency_."

"So you want us to kill the Archangel?" Jackson asked.

"Exactly." Ray looked intently into each of their eyes, "So what do you say? Are you in?"

"Hell yeah!" Alex exclaimed.

"I'll do it if Jackson does." Sam added nervously.

"I've already told you how I feel about the shadows." Jackson explained, 'you know I'm in."

_***Friday, September 26: Lunchtime***_

Jackson ate his lunch with Sam and Alex, and they talked about their conversation with Raymond.

"I think it's kinda cool." Said Alex, "If we manage to close the link to that world, then there shouldn't be any more amnesia cases. We get to save people. We'd be heroes."

"Yeah, but what if we die?" Sam asked. "This is really serious and really dangerous. We should go to the cops or the FBI or something because we're not ready for this."

"We're the only ones who can do this." Said Jackson. "The police would never believe us. And this power I have now isn't a coincidence. I don't think I'd have awoken to my persona if this wasn't something that we have to face alone."

"What about Ray?" Alex asked, "Do you think he'll be able to get his persona back? Maybe then he can help us out."

"I don't know." Sam said, "But I don't like that he forced this upon us. Why the sudden interest in us? Is it just so we can finish his job for him?"

"I don't think that's entirely fair." Jackson said. "He didn't force us. This is something we chose to take on. You can still walk away."

Sam looked thoughtfully for a moment. "No. I want to help you. You were right about the _forgotten frequency, _its only fair that I trust you this time. If you think this is something only we can do, then I'll do anything I can to help you."

"Well you can count on me, partner." Alex said, "Or at least you will be able to once I get me a persona!"

"I appreciate it, but a persona isn't just something you can force out of yourself." Said Jackson, "it takes a lot to face your inner shadow. You'll never awaken to a persona if you take that kind of approach."

"Whatever, I'm off." Alex waved dismissively as he left for his next class.

Jackson sighed.

"He'll be ok." Sam said. "We have you, Jackson. What could possibly go wrong, Right?"

Jackson looked into Sam's eyes and smiled, "C'mon, we should go." And with that, they followed Alex back into the school.


	7. Chapter VII

**C**hapter VII: Face Yourself.

_***Evening***_

Jackson's desk was piled high with junk and Alex's homework. He sighed, and brushed it aside. As he sat studying, his cell phone began to ring. He answered it. It was Sam.

"Hello." Jackson stammered.

"Jackson. Are you busy on Sunday? I know a café in the mall that you just have to see." Sam got straight to the point.

"Sounds fun."

"Then it's a date."

"Err yeah. By the way, I needed to talk to you about Alex."

"Oh yea. That fool is gonna ruin the whole operation."

"Yeah.. I think its right that he try and awaken to a persona, and you should too, but he needs to calm down and think about it."

"Yea I guess, but I don't think Alex is easily calmed down".

"I agree." Jackson chuckled, "But I think I know what his evoker might be, all we have to do is get him into a situation where he has to question his reasoning."

"You mean the _forgotten frequency_."

"Yes. We need to get more familiar about that place anyway, if we're really serious about doing this."

Sam sighed, "Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

"Ok fine, we'll meet at lunch."

"Ok, don't forget about Sunday!" She hung up.

Jackson put his phone away, and went to bed.

_***Saturday, September 27: Early Morning***_

Jackson woke to the sound of Alex's snoring two doors down. He got dressed, and packed his bag before heading to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Alex did not wake before Jackson left.

***_Lunchtime_***

"Where's Alex today?" Sam asked, as she met Jackson in the hallway.

"I don't know. He was asleep this morning, I didn't want to wake him up." He replied.

"That does sound like Alex." They turned the corner to the cafeteria, and began to wait in line for food. "I mean he was in a bad mood the other day."

"Yeah I guess. I just hope he doesn't get himself into trouble while he's not with us." Jackson said, as the woman behind the long counter dropped a large pile of 'food' onto his plate.

"You don't mean-" Sam leant in towards Jackson, "_the forgotten frequency?" _She whispered, as her plate was stained with her own batch of 'food'.

"You don't need to whisper. People will just assume that we're talking about the rumor." Jackson paid for his food. "And yes, that is what I meant."

Sam paid for hers, and sighed, "Well now you've just got me worried. That sounds entirely like the sort of thing that idiot would go off and do on his own."

"Sorry, but I think we aught to go strait to the _star's satellite _after school, just incase." Jackson explained, as he sat in the nearest vacant seat.

Sam took the seat opposite, "Fine, and if he's not there you can buy me coffee."

"Deal." Jackson agreed with a smile.

_***Afterschool***_

Jackson and Sam headed for the _star's satellite_ as soon as school finished, as agreed. There were plenty of people there, but Alex was not among them.

"Looks like he's not here." Said Sam. "How about that coffee?"

"He's got to be around here somewhere. Let's split up." Said Jackson.

"That won't work." Said a voice from behind. It was Raymond, who walked towards them and the wooden bench where the two worlds meet, "The only way to find someone who has entered the _forgotten frequency_ is to go there yourself."

"Ray? What are you doing here?" Jackson asked.

"Helping you find Alex. He's not at the apartment, and I was getting worried." He replied.

"Well thanks." Said Jackson, as he pulled a radio out of his bag, "But we don't need your help."

Sam took a hold of the radio and turned it on.

"Surely you'll need all the help you can get in there." Ray said.

"And what good would you be without a persona?" Jackson asked, as he quickly turned the dial on the radio in Sam's hands, and entered the other world with her. Ray froze along with everything else as the world spiralled slowly into the ghastly realm of the shadows.

"Good call." Said Sam, "There's no point putting more people in danger. Let's just find Alex and get out of here. But, how did you know he wouldn't come with us? He was easily within earshot of the radio."

"Oh, I figured this out last time. You only enter this world if you're touching the radio when its tuned in." Jackson explained.

"Oh, cool." Just as Sam said this, there was a loud bang from behind them.

They spun on their heels, and saw a large blob forming from the ground in front of them. The blob's small red eyes glared through the heavy darkness of the strange world. It was a shadow.

"Shit!" Jackson shouted, and ran in front of Sam, "Persona!" He shouted, as he clicked the button of his stopwatch. The caped, mask-wearing persona known as Odysseus rose above the shattered glass that formed a star around Jackson's feet.

The shadow looked startled. It quickly grew in size, and mutated gruesomely into its true form. Once the transformation was complete, the shadow looked like a floating octopus, with a large empty head encasing an old book. It was called 'regretful book,' and a purple mask covered its face.

Odysseus jumped into action from behind Jackson. He swung his sword down at the shadow, and thick clouds of red fire gushed out from the blade. The fire had no effect on the shadow, and the flames rippled off of its skin. The ball was now in the shadow's court, and it sprinted through the air towards Odysseus. It stuck its tentacles out, and span quickly in circles. The persona used his round wooden shield to block the attack, and struck the shadow's thick skin with his sword. The monster imploded into dark smoke as the blade cut clean through its body.

Odysseus faded away, and Jackson let out a sigh of relief. "That was close." He said. "Come on, let's find Alex."

Sam nodded, and they began searching for their friend.

They turned the corner, and were confronted by a swarm of the same shadow creatures.

"Oh shit." Said Jackson, as he pulled out his evoker again.

"Wait!" Sam shouted, "Look, it's Alex!" She pointed into the crowd of shadows, and Jackson saw Alex attempting to fight them off with a pair of kitchen knives.

"Tch." Jackson pressed down on the button of his father's old stopwatch, "Persona!"

Glass shattered from his hand, and Odysseus appeared once again.

"Help us out here buddy." Jackson said. Odysseus struggled to keep the shadows at bay. He cleared a path to Alex, who ran straight to Jackson and Sam.

"Thanks guys." He panted for a while, and stood up. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk. I was just angry at you for not believing in me."

"We do believe in you." Said Sam, angrily.

"I know you do. I was just being selfish. I always have been." Alex looked a lot more serious than usual. "As I was hiding from those shadows I realised how stupid I'd been. Its just that after my dad died, I felt like every burden was mine to carry. Its like I forgot that my friends, and people I care about even existed."

"You know we only want to help you." Jackson said.

"I know. Of course I know. When the shadows found me, I thought I was dead for sure. But you saved me and I owe you my life." Alex sighed. "But my family was torn apart after my dad died. My mum practically went insane, and is under 24-hour care. I couldn't look after her, so I moved here. But now, with the cases of amnesia, there are families being torn apart every day. If my dad dying did that to one family, then the shadows causing people to lose the memories of people they love could tear hundreds of families apart."

"So that's why you want to get a persona and fight the shadows so badly. To stop them from hurting anybody else?" Sam asked.

"Sounds stupid, huh?" Alex laughed through tears. "But its what I want. So what do you say, partner?" He turned to Jackson.

"I say catch." He took Alex's old yo-yo out of his pocket, and threw it in his friend's direction.

Alex caught it, and glass shattered from his clenched hands, forming a triangle around his feet. "Persona." He said proudly.


	8. Chapter VIII

**C**hapter VIII: Frozen Flames

Blue energy engulfed Alex and a figure could be seen emerging behind him. It resembled a fat clown, in a tattered purple suit with a dead rose in the breast pocket and a feather tucked into the trim of its bowler hat. It wielded a large mini-gun. The clown makeup made a large red mouth that was sad, and black circles lined its eyes, which sat above a round red nose. It had large clown shoes and a thin belt with a green triangle shaped buckle.

"_Thou art I." _It said in a booming voice. "_And I am thou. Your soul reaches out for strength. I am Proteus, let me be that strength." _

Alex smiled, and looked at Jackson. "Need a hand killing those shadows?"

Jackson smiled back and shouted, "Sam, get behind me!"

"Oh err, right!" She ran behind Jackson and Alex.

"Alright, lets do this!" Jackson and Alex shouted together.

Alex's persona, Proteus, jumped up from behind him, and fired a beam of ice out of the end of its mini-gun, like water from a hose. A group of the shadows were frozen by the attack, and Odysseus was granted enough space to get away. The remaining shadows regrouped, and started running towards the two personas. Odysseus swung his sword out from his side, and thick flames shot out. Proteus shot another stream toward the flames, entangling them in a spiralling tunnel of ice.

Jackson smirked, "Fusion attack!" He began.

"Frozen Flames!" Alex finished.

The fire and ice danced around each other as the attack met the shadows head on. Those that weren't frozen to death were burned to death. Proteus and Odysseus stood proud as the shadows faded away into black fog.

"That was awesome." Jackson said.

"Thanks." Said Alex.

"I think you'll be a valuable member of the team."

"I already am, whether you like it or not."

Jackson nodded, and Odysseus faded away. Proteus turned to look at Alex, nodded, and faded away into a flock of green butterflies, which flew gracefully into the distance.

Alex smiled to himself before collapsing to floor, unconscious.

Jackson turned the radio off, and the world of the _forgotten frequency_ began to turn back into the real world, with the thick clouds parting, and time continuing as normal.

Raymond, who was now unfrozen, ran over to the three, and looked at Alex, who was lying on the floor. "Did he?"

"Summon a persona? Yes." Jackson said.

Ray sighed. "You shouldn't have done that." He said.

"What?" Jackson asked.

"Gone off on your own."

"I wasn't on my own, I had Sam."

"Yea." Sam said.

"You entered into a world you know barely anything about." He sighed again. "I know you don't really know me, but I do know a lot about that world. Just don't do anything reckless like that again."

"I'm sorry, but right now, we need to get Alex to a hospital." Jackson said.

"Right." Said Sam, as she dialled for an ambulance.

"Well, at least he's ok. I was worried." Said Ray.

"He was fine. Alex wouldn't give in to a bunch of creepy shadow creatures." Jackson said.

_ ***Sunday, September: 28: Afternoon***_

Alex awoke in the hospital the next day. Jackson and Sam were informed immediately, and got there as fast as they could.

They burst into the small hospital room, and Alex sat straight up as soon as he saw them run through the door.

"You guys took your time!" He shouted jokingly.

"Dude, you were awake after one day." Jackson laughed, "I always thought you liked sleeping."

"So did I."

"Are you okay now?" Sam asked.

"Okay? I'm better then ever!" He got out of bed, and poured himself some water from the cooler in the corner of the room. "Its like I have nothing on my conscience any more." He downed the cup in one swift motion. "Y'know what I mean?"

"Yes, actually. I do." Jackson smiled.

Sam sat down on the bed and sighed. "So much has happened in two weeks."

"Yea." Jackson paused. "Yea, it has."

"It's like, before I didn't even know who you guys were. But now.." She sighed again.

"Pretty freaky, huh?" Alex smiled inappropriately.

"Dude." Jackson frowned, "Sense the tone."

"Oh?" He looked confused. A look that he was not unfamiliar with. "Ohh!" He nodded slowly. "Man I'm so stupid."

"Really?" Sam asked. "I hadn't noticed." She said sarcastically.

Alex frowned.

"I really do think these past two weeks have been some of the most important of my life." Sam looked down at her feet. "A-and I hate to say it, but-" She blushed, "I- I'm really glad that you guys were part of it."

Jackson smiled, and looked deep into her hazel eyes, "You think we would be here without you? I could not have admitted to my true feelings if any one other then you guys were there."

"T-thanks Jackson." Sam looked up and smiled.

"Umm, hello?" Alex said. "Guy waking up from a comma over here." He gestured for them to pay attention to him.

"Ok, one, you're not waking up from a comma, you're already awake." Sam said sternly.

"And two, it was hardly a comma, you were asleep for like one day tops." Jackson explained, before heading out of the room with Sam.

"H-hey! It still counts!" Alex complained.

"Bye, Alex!" Sam and Jackson waved over their shoulders as they left.

The sun was still shining outside the hospital. It always was. Sam and Jackson decided to walk back, because the buses were all packed, and the trams didn't run on Sundays.

"I'm glad Alex is okay." Jackson said.

"Okay is not the word I'd use." Sam chuckled

"Okay let me rephrase that. I'm glad Alex is back to normal." Jackson laughed.

"Yea. He's luckier then he thinks, y'know." Sam complained.

"Yea, well. At least something good came out of it." Jackson said.

"Oh yea, his 'persona'." Sam sighed.

They didn't speak for a few paces. Jackson broke the silence. "..Y'know, I'm pretty sure I made arrangements with someone to go to some café today. But I can't for the life of me remember who." He looked jokingly at her.

"Haha, shut up." She laughed. "Its this way."

They headed for the mall, and Sam showed Jackson the café she had mentioned over the phone earlier that week.


	9. Chapter IX

**C**hapter IX: What's The Plan?

_ ***Monday, September 29th: After School***_

Jackson waited outside the gate for Sam, and they walked to the tram stop together. The sun was shining again. Just like yesterday. Just like the days before it. The golden beams fell through the cracks between the buildings. It darted between the noise of cars and people and the city, and landed softly on Jackson's skin, disguising the cold metal and glass of the world around him.

"Remind me why we have to pick Alex up again." Sam groaned.

"Haha. Well I was thinking we go and talk to Ray in a bit." Jackson explained.

The tram glided gracefully to a halt in front of them. It shimmered and hummed for a few moments as the passengers all boarded, and then slowly began to climb along the rails that carved the road ahead of it. Jackson and Sam found two adjacent seats perched against one of the great windows that reached from the machine's floor to its roof.

"Talk to him about what?" Sam asked.

"About the 'archangel'. Among other things." Jackson leant back against the glass pane.

"Hmm. We'll go later, yeah?"

"That's the plan."

_***Evening***_

After collecting Alex, the party headed back to the flats, where Ray sat eating chips in front of the TV.

"Oh, hey guys." He waved, and switched the set of.

"Ray." Jackson said, as he threw his keys down on the table. "Glad you're here."

"Oh yeah?" He said, whilst eating. "What's up?"

Sam, Jackson, and Alex each took a seat in the living room.

"I need to talk to you about this 'archangel.'" Jackson said, not wasting any time.

"Oh." Ray smiled his trademark smile, "What d'you wanna know?"

"Well. You said we had to fight it. But how? And when?"

"Aha. Ok." He paused to think. "For the most part, the archangel will just sit back and leave the shadows to feast on the people that enter that world. But he's not just their guardian, and he has needs and plans of his own. Recently, he's been building up his power. With each human he and his shadows prey on, his strength grows. That's why its crucial we act now, because if he manages to reach the level he's shooting for, then I have no idea what he'll be capable of."

"But, what does he want?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know." Ray replied, "At the moment, things travel from this world to that one using the _forgotten frequency_ and anything from here can return exactly the same way. But for the moment nothing from that world can transfer into this world, so the shadows and the archangel are stuck there. The only 'food' they get is the occasional human who tests out the rumour. So you can see why the archangel would want to change that. If I were him, I'd want to take as many humans as I could and bring them into that world."

"But we wont let that happen!" Alex said defiantly.

"No. As you can imagine, a job like that would take an enormous amount of power. Something a mere mortal could never achieve." Ray went on, "Which means, we have a good amount of time before he's anything like that powerful."

"So we just finish him off before then?" Sam asked

"That's the idea. But it wont be easy." Ray said, "And you can bet that the archangel will notice you're trying to stop him after a while, and if he finds out before you reach your full strength then he'll wipe the floor with you."

"How long do we have?" Jackson asked.

"Well. If you train there regularly, which you'll need to in order for you and your personas to be powerful enough to take this on.." He thought for a moment, "Then I'd give you maybe a month tops before he notices you. After that it'll just depend on what he chooses to do with you. He probably won't attack you himself first. If I were in his position, I'd send my pawns out first. Some of the more powerful shadows. Once you defeat them you'll leave him no choice but to face you alone."

"And we'll kill him!" Alex butted in.

"Hopefully." Ray added, as he ate the last of his chips.

"Alright." Jackson said. There was a pause, but he broke it, "Both me and Alex have awoken to a persona, and can therefore fight the shadows. I think we need all the strength we can get, and that means we need Sam to try and awaken to hers."

Sam swallowed slowly.

"Right, I'm sure she can do that." Ray smiled, "However, if you are serious about wanting all the help you can get, I think you guys will need me."

"Yeah, but you can't use a persona anymore, what can you do to help?" Jackson asked.

"Haha, well you have got a point. But I've been doing this for a long time, and I know more about the shadows and the _forgotten frequency_ then you three do, and although my persona is gone, I still remember how to use its special ability."

"Special ability?" Alex was intrigued.

"My persona could read a shadow's weaknesses. And as I fought with him, I learnt how he did it. Judging by a shadow's movement and appearance, I can work out how strong it is, how it fights, and what its weak points are. That's a vital skill for defeating these creatures."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Alex said in apparent awe.

"It would be useful to know what we're up against." Sam told Jackson, who looked thoughtful.

"Plus, I can get you some proper weapons, rather then what ever it is you've been using so far." Ray added.

"Hmmm.." Jackson paused, "How would you get them?"

Ray answered smugly, "I've been in the shadow slaying industry a while, you learn a few things."

"…" Jackson thought carefully about it. "…Alright. You can help us, but only if you agree to get us some good equipment, and stay behind us in all fights. You don't have a persona so you can't be getting involved."

"Of course." Ray smiled.

Jackson questioned his decision for a second or two. There was a pause as he looked to Sam, and then to Alex, who both looked thoughtfully back as if to say 'its your call' "..Welcome to the team." He said.

"Whooo!" Alex shouted. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Alex was talking loudly about how 'fun' it would be now that Ray was part of the team. Ray was laughing along, while Jackson and Sam each sat deep in thought opposite.

"Alright." Jackson said. "Alex, shut up for a second, would ya?"

"Sorry." Alex said, before settling down again.

"If we want Sam to be able to fight, we're going to need to be in that world a lot more often. We'll start by meeting at the _star's satellite_ after school tomorrow. Think you can make it, Ray?"

"Oh, umm I think so." He replied, slightly alarmed.

"Good, then bring the weapons with you. We'll go in and exploreproperly, that way we'll begin to get prepared for when we fight the 'archangel'."

"Good idea." Alex said.

"It pays to be prepared." Sam smiled.

"Yeah." Jackson said, "Now Sam, can you think of anything that could be your evoker? Anything that has a great deal of sentimental value to you?"

"Ummm…" She paused, and looked a little embarrassed. "I don't think so, not really."

"Are you sure?" Jackson asked. "Nothing at all? A family heirloom, maybe?"

"No." She said. She had gone slightly blushed. "I'm not like you guys. My family is happy. I have good friends. My whole life has never been anything but normal until I met you."

"There's nothing you hold dear to you?" Ray asked.

"I don't get too attached to anything." She said, "I don't want to sound like a snob, but it's not like my family has ever had anything we can't just replace. Other then ourselves of course." She laughed awkwardly.

"..Well keep thinking. You'll find something. I'd all but forgotten about my evoker, but the feeling it gave me was always there in the back of my mind." Jackson smiled softly. "In the meantime, we'll keep doing what we are doing. I'm gonna go get something to eat." He said, as he went to the kitchen.

"I'll join you." Sam said, and followed.


	10. Chapter X

**C**hapter X: Taking Up Arms.

_ ***Tuesday, September 30th: Lunchtime***_

Jackson met up with Alex and Sam on the roof of the school, where they sat and looked out over the majesty of Falcon City's skyline. The buildings carved great canyons into the blue sky, and the sun hung high above like a watchful guardian. The all-seeing eye, well known to the people of Frequency Central.

The resultant heat from this fine day, however, turned the cement of the floors into hot coals, keeping Jackson and his friends huddled around a small table under the shade of a large parasol.

"So is there ever anything but sun here?" Jackson asked, as he peeled away the foil that housed his pre-prepared sandwich.

"In Falcon?" Sam looked confused, "No. You sometimes get lucky with a spell of clouds or a cold wind."

"It's funny, I've never felt myself complaining that it hasn't rained in a while." Jackson's sandwich was about as exciting as he had the effort to make it. Salad enveloped a slim sheet of ham, which was shaken up by the addition of a little mustard, taking the spot of the usual helping of mayonnaise. Culinary genius to the teenage boy.

"At least we don't have to worry about fog. The stuff was a real nightmare where I moved from." Alex said, as he dived into his own handmade lunch. His was a decidedly less thought out affair to Jackson's. A combination of whatever leftovers happened to be in the fridge that morning seemed to blend together in the plastic container. "You couldn't see shit when it was thick."

"There's a crap joke or two to be made there, I can feel it." Jackson smiled, and Alex chuckled along.

"Remind me why I hang out with you guys again?" Sam asked but received no reply. She opened her own lunchbox, and was greeted with the smell of a neatly prepared helping of pasta in a simple but eloquent tomato sauce. "So, are you two still certain about going to the other world later?"

"Yeah, I think we should." Jackson said.

"We get to see what it'll be like with Ray there, too." Alex nodded.

"Ok." Sam said reluctantly. "But I've got stuff to do before that so I may be a bit late."

"Don't worry about it." Jackson reassured her. "We'll just tell Ray to meet us there an hour later."

"I'll text him." Alex plumed a number into his phone and began to construct the message.

"You think he'll be alright in there without a persona?" Sam asked.

"Well you've been fine." Alex said

"It'll be ok. We're not gonna split up, so. Until the time when its not necessary, Alex and I can back you both up."

"Thanks." Sam said, looking thoughtfully down into her food.

"Did you think anymore about your evoker?" Jackson asked.

"Not really. I tried reading through my diary to see if I'd written about anything I treasured as a kid, but I couldn't find anything." Sam admitted.

"Well if you think of anything, or if there's something you want to talk about, feel free to tell us, we won't laugh." Jackson said. "Well, Alex can cover his ears."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Alex gestured towards himself.

"Thanks.." Sam trailed off.

"I'm not just saying that so you can overcome your shadow." Jackson continued, "You guys are my friends. I mean you're like the only friends I have in this city, so I care about you guys."

"Alright dude, there's no need to get soppy. People might be watching. " Alex smiled.

"I hope not. I don't want people seeing me with you." Jackson smirked back.

Things were a little quieter as they finished eating. They sat and talked, and watched as a small green butterfly fluttered past.

***_After School_***

The party met a little after school had finished. Alex and Jackson were first to the _star's satellite. _They spent a little time in the arcade, where Ray, who carried a large sports bag over his shoulder, met them.

"Evening gentlemen." He said over the noise of the arcade machines.

"Hey, man." Alex smiled and offered him a seat.

"I brought the stuff with me, so we might actually stand a chance taking on a good amount of shadows, and hold out a little longer this time around."

"Awesome, thanks." Jackson said. " We're just waiting on Sam now. "But she said she'd be late, so."

They talked about how things would go down once they got in the other world, and about their plans to take on the archangel, before heading over to the bench to meet Sam.

"Hey, you ready?" Jackson asked her.

"Ready as I suppose I'll ever be." She smiled weakly.

"You'll be fine." Jackson put his hand on her shoulder.

"..Alright, everyone take a hold of the radio, then." Ray said, as he pulled a radio out of his bag. They all stood huddled around it, each with a hand placed on its surface. "Jackson, would you do the honors?"

"Lets do this!" He said, and turned the dial to the _forgotten frequency. _

The world began to slow, and soon enough, the familiar black smog that covered this strange realm surrounded them. The sun above them was blocked out by think purple clouds and an eerie sense of vulnerability found its way up Jackson's spine.

"Ok, everybody gather round." Ray said, as he placed the bag on the ground and unzipped its great seam. They all grouped together, keeping one eye permanently on the world around them in search of shadows. "I've got a selection with me today." He said, "Everyone take some armor and slip it on under your clothes. You don't want it tearing up the fabric of your nice school uniforms as well as the shadows.

They all did as they were told, and put on the equipment he provided. "Alright, now these are a little special." Ray said. "I have three rings, and they each have a special ability, derived from the powers of personas and shadows. Sam, I think you should have this one for now. It increases the amount of damage you can take, a bit like a really strong pain killer."

She slipped it on her finger. "Thanks."

"Alex, you can have this one. This decreases the toll on your body that summoning your persona has, meaning you can use it for a lot longer." Ray held the ring out towards Alex.

"Awesome thanks!" Alex smiled and took it.

"And Jackson, this one is yours." Ray gave the final ring to Jackson.

"What does this one do?" He asked.

"That one will come very much in handy today as I begin to teach you all about exploiting a shadow's weakness. Your persona uses fire bases attacks, and that ring amplifies any fire based attack by up to 25%." Ray explained. "Good, now that's settled, we can move on to weapons. You'll all have to decide between you which one you each get, because I only have one of each. There's an axe, a spear, and set of throwing knives."

"Alright." Jackson looked at Sam and Alex. "Any preference?"

"I'll have the knives!" Alex said, and took them from Ray's bag.

"Ok. Sam?" Ray asked.

"I don't think I'd be very good with a spear." She said, "An Axe is a bit more simple, isn't it? Which do you want Jackson?"

"You take the axe." He said, "I don't mind a spear."

Ray handed out the weapons and closed the bag up. "Ok, now we're ready we can go and defeat some shadows!" He said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, where are they?" Alex asked. "Usually they would have attacked us by now."

"Don't worry about it." Ray said. "We'll just have to look around for a bit."

They did just that. Staying together, they began to search around the area, peering deep into the blackness for signs of movement. This went on for a few minutes to no avail. There was a silence that followed them. They felt very out of place in this world, and it was a lot more unnerving now they were alone here. At least when they were fighting the monsters, their minds were occupied. Right now they could take in the fear that accompanied this place. All that they could think of were the countless eyes that were no doubt watching them from within the fog.

"C'mooon." Alex groaned. "They were all up for killing us before!"

"Think about what you're saying, Alex!" Sam hissed.

"We can take out a few lousy shadows." He retorted.

"If we find any." Jackson thought.

"Guys quick, behind you!" Ray shouted, "Over there!"

They all turned around to see what Ray was pointing at. A small group of shadows were making their way out of the fog. They were like giant black ravens with dark blue on the edges of their wings that hovered sinisterly above the ground and drifted slowly towards them. Around each of the creatures' necks was a lantern, but the candles inside were not lit. Instead they were encased in ice, which seemed to steam with cold.

"Ok, everybody get ready!" Ray said, and Jackson and Alex ran forwards. Sam stood between the two of them, and Ray stayed back where he would be safe. "This is where the real fighting begins." He smiled.


	11. Chapter XI

**C**hapter XI: The Real Fighting Begins.

The four shadows were now within range and loomed over Jackson and his friends. A chill came with them, which rippled around the party, numbing fingers and stinging noses.

"Alright, these guys aren't too strong but there are four of them, so we'll have to be careful." Ray began.

"Nahh, I got this!" Alex shouted, and ran at the creatures. He pulled his yo-yo out of his pocket and set it loose from his hand. It ran back up the string and glass shattered out, falling into a triangle on the floor as he caught it. "PERSONA!" He called out, as Proteus was formed behind him.

"No, Alex wait!" Ray shouted, but it was too late.

Alex drove a knife into one of the shadows, which recoiled and let out a loud shriek. His persona pulled up its mighty mini-gun and shot out a torrent of ice. The wounded shadow shook Alex loose, and he fell back onto his side.

"Damn" He spat, as he hit the ground. The ice from Proteus' attack collided with the shadow, but the enemy seemed to absorb the ice into itself, and the wound Alex had made faded away.

"God damn it Alex!" Sam shouted.

"What just happened?" Jackson asked, with a shocked look on his face.

"You idiot, these shadows absorb ice attacks! It makes them stronger, so don't use it!" Ray scolded Alex.

"I didn't know that!" Alex replied, as he got back to his feet.

"Look out!" Sam shouted. One of the shadows had swooped in to attack Alex as he was getting up. Jackson jumped in front of the shadow and was knocked back, as it's huge pointed beak-like mask collided with his spear.

"Thanks" Alex said shyly. Another of the shadows made a move to attack Sam, but she was too quick, and darted out of the way, leaving it to smash into the floor beside her.

"Get your act together guys!" Ray shouted from behind. "Jackson, you don't want to get hit by one of these shadows! If it uses an ice attack, you're screwed. Alex is strong against ice!"

"I'm not just gonna let my friend get hurt!" Jackson called back, as Alex blocked another attack.

Ray ignored him. "The shadows need to regroup, so now's your chance!" He said, "Use your persona to hit them with a fire attack!"

Jackson took out his stopwatch and pushed the button, creating another shroud of broken glass, which fell into a star beneath his feet. "Odysseus!" He shouted. His persona appeared behind him, and began to dart into action.

"Use Maragi!" Ray said, "It'll hit all four of them!"

"Maragi!" Jackson called. Odysseus swung his sword forward, and the four shadows were engulfed in a huge cloud of thick red flames. All four disappeared, leaving behind small patches of black smoke.

They all sighed in relief.

"..That was intense." Jackson panted.

"You were awesome!" Alex said.

"You were lucky." Ray corrected, "If I hadn't given you that ring, Jackson, your attack may not have been strong enough and we'd still be fighting them."

"Don't give him a hard time." Sam said, "He went out of his way to help Alex."

"That's true." Ray admitted, "In that case, the shadow only used a physical attack, so you were ok. But if it used an ice attack, you would have been better to let Alex take the blow. You have to remember that you all fight as a team. You have to weigh the situation and work out who's best to do what when."

"Yeah, I suppose." Jackson said.

"Don't worry about it. Let's try again. But this time, don't go running in without thinking. I'll help you guys fight them effectively." Ray said.

"Ok." Alex said. "I'll try and focus this time."

"Honestly, it's a miracle you've all lasted this long." Ray said under his breath, as they set out to find another set of monsters to test their strengths on.

"So all shadows have a weakness?" Jackson asked.

"Most." Ray said. "But they also mostly have a strength. Sometimes your attacks simply won't work on them."

"Like that time when we went to save Alex and your persona's fire attack did nothing to that one shadow." Sam said to Jackson.

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Jackson said.

"That shadow will have been really strong against fire, then." Ray explained, "Its likely that it was weak to ice attacks, so in that situation, you'd get Alex to exploit that."

"I get it." Jackson said.

"But don't forget that, like the shadows, your personas all have their own strengths and weaknesses." Ray said.

"Yeah, we found that out already." Alex laughed awkwardly.

"Alright. Well, now hopefully you'll be able to use this knowledge in battle." Ray said.

"What was that Maragi thing you told me to do, by the way?" Jackson asked.

"Ahh, yes." Ray began, "the different types of attack all have names. Agi is the name given to fire based attacks. Ice attacks are also called Bufu attacks. Wind are called Garu, and for lightening it's Zio. Your persona will just fight as it sees best if you don't command it. But you can make it use stronger and more strategic moves, if you tell it to. Maragi is a fire attack that hits all foes in range. There are more powerful Agi attacks, but your persona probably doesn't know them yet."

"That's like when we used that fusion attack." Alex said.

"Oh yeah." Jackson recalled. "Its funny, we just knew how to do that instinctively without being taught."

"That's the effect of your persona." Ray said. " You'll subconsciously learn its moves as you fight with it more and more. There are other moves and attack types to learn, too, but for now we'll focus on the ones you know."

They turned a corner on their search for more foes, and stumbled across two large shadows. One looked a lot like the 'regretful book' that Jackson and Sam had encountered in their previous trip to the shadows' world. The other was another black frosty raven with a light blue mask, which was called a 'europa eagle'.

"Alright guys, get ready!" Ray shouted. "And pay attention this time." They all gathered into their attack formation, and stood ready.

"Ok the eagle is the same as before, so Jackson, that's one for you!" Ray commanded.

"Got it!" Jackson said, and summoned his persona, "Agi!" He called out. Odysseus set the shadow ablaze, and it fell to the floor on its back.

"Now you have a chance to attack again before they recover!" Ray said.

"Let me do this!" Sam said, and she ran at the downed shadow, lodging her axe into its chest with all the force that she could muster. It disappeared upon impact.

The other shadow lifted its front tentacles and set a burst of flames in Jackson's direction. The attack had no effect, and although Jackson was cowering behind his arm, the flames rippled around him and disappeared, leaving him unscathed.

"I'm not hurt!" Jackson said with glee.

"Ok, it's weak to ice!" Ray said, "Alex-"

"I'm way ahead of you!" Alex interrupted, and summoned Proteus once more, "Alright buddy, this time we'll have 'em! Bufu!" He shouted.

Proteus perked up and fired his ice attack directly at the shadow, which fell to the floor with a shrill cry.

"Everybody, now that it's down you can finish it off before it gets back up!" Ray said.

"Lets do this!" Jackson suggested, and the three ran at the fallen shadow and hacked and slashed at it until it, too, imploded into black smoke clouds.

They were relieved to have emerged victorious once more.

"Alright, that was much better." Ray said, "See how much easier it is when you all work as a team?"

"Yeah, that was cool!" Alex said, "We smoked those clowns."

"It did feel a lot more controlled then any of the other battles we've been in." Sam said.

"Yeah." Jackson said.

"Do you want to keep going, or should we call it a day there?" Ray asked.

"I'm shattered." Sam admitted.

"I'm beginning to get tired, too." Jackson agreed.

"I can keep going!" Alex said excitedly, "C'mon lets go find some more!"

"Remember that you have that ring, Alex." Ray said, "Summoning your persona is less tiring for you. Plus, Sam has never summoned a persona, so she'll tire out a lot faster in this world. If Sam and Jackson are getting worn out then it's better to go home and regroup. You've all learned a lot today, and there's no need to push yourselves too hard before you're used to fighting shadows here."

"Fine, we'll go back." Alex relented.

"Don't worry, you'll get plenty of chances to grow in strength." Ray said, "We're only just starting to delve into the powers you and your personas posses."

With that, he took back the weapons and equipment, put them back in his bag, and pulled out the radio once again. As he turned the dial, that world quickly began to fade back into the one they knew, and life returned to the people of Falcon City.

Ray headed straight back to the apartment, but the others sat at a nearby café and talked about their adventure. After a while, Alex left Jackson and Sam, and they sat and talked until the evening, when they both retired to the apartments together.


	12. Chapter XII

__**C**hapter XII: A Strange Dream.

***Late Night***

Jackson went straight to his room after he and Sam arrived back at the apartment block. He could feel the soft embrace of his pillowcase, and the warmth of his sheets. He closed his eyes. There was nothing but darkness for some time.

But his mind was very much active. After a while, he became aware that what he lay on no longer comforted him. It felt like a cold, hard floor. He tried to roll within his sheets, but they seemed to drift away from his body, as if someone had slowly dragged them free. He was left cold. Was he dreaming? He didn't remember falling asleep.

He opened his eyes, but the same blackness remained. The lights of the street would surely be shining through the windowpane and the gap between his curtains. He repeatedly closed and re-opened his eyes, but nothing changed. He began to panic, a cold bead of sweat slipped slowly down the side of his face.

And then he saw it. At first it was a tiny light in the immeasurable distance. But as it grew closer, he could make out its form. It was a small, green butterfly, flying gracefully towards him. He reached out a hand to touch it, but as he did, a dim burst of light seeped into the side of his vision, and his bedroom was once again illuminated by the slither of yellow light that creaked in through the window. The butterfly was nowhere to be seen.

He looked around. He was very much awake, and very much in his bed.

"Was it a dream?" He asked himself. He could feel the soft embrace of his pillowcase, and the warmth of his sheets. He closed his eyes. There was nothing but darkness for some time, as he drifted off to sleep.

_ ***Friday, October 3rd: Morning***_

Jackson never told his friends about that dream. In fact, by the following morning, he had all but forgotten about it. He remembered the feeling of the floor on his body and the light in the distance, but the whole scene never fully returned to his mind.

Regardless, it was three days since they last entered the other world, and Jackson felt it was about time they went again. He decided to talk to Sam about it during Biology.

"So it's been a while since we listened to the forgotten frequency. You think we should try again later?" He asked.

"Umm, sure." She replied, "I mean sure it has been a while. Not sure lets go later. I can't do today, sorry."

"Why's that?" Jackson asked, "You can't possibly have friends besides me and Alex can you?" He joked.

"Ah! Of course I do." She caught herself laughing, but stopped before the teacher turned around, "You're pretty cheeky sometimes, Jackson."

"I try my best." He smiled.

"But this is actually a family thing." She admitted, "My parents are having people round, and I have to be there so they can save face."

"They couldn't possibly have people thinking their daughter is some out of control youth who involves herself in such dangerous acts as 'having fun'." Said Jackson, "Don't you live in the apartment block, anyway?"

"Oh, heaven forbid." Sam laughed, "Yeah I do but my parents don't, do they?"

"True. Ok, How about tomorrow?" He asked.

Sam paused for thought, "Y'know what, screw it. You guys come and meet me at my parents house later, and I'll sneak out the back."

"Are you sure?" Jackson asked, "Your parents wont be mad?"

"Livid." Sam smiled, "But its my life. Besides, that's what teenagers do, isn't it? Sneak out when they're not supposed to."

"I suppose. But normally its to go to a party or on a date. Not, y'know, go and fight monsters."

"Well normally doesn't really concern us of late." She said, "I'd go with you guys after school, but I've got to pick some stuff up from theirs first anyway."

"What stuff?"

"I bought some medical supplies and other things that I thought could help us out in the other world. We can't always be focusing on the offence. What happens if one of us gets hurt by a shadow in battle?"

"Good thinking." Jackson said, "We'll meet up with Alex at lunch and sort out a plan of action for sneaking you out."

"Ok" Sam nodded.

"Mr Blake, and Ms De Beulieu." The teacher perked up and addressed them, "I'm so glad you two are interested in my lesson, but if you could just keep this thrilling discussion you're clearly having until after class, that would be grand."

"Yessir." Jackson responded with a salute. The teacher frowned, and Jackson and Sam spent the rest of the lesson in relative silence.

_***Lunchtime***_

Sam, Jackson, and Alex sat on the roof of their school and ate lunch together. A familiar scene to the three students. The sun hung low in the sky, but it was decidedly colder than most days in Falcon City. An icy chill had blown in from the north, and brought a small selection of clouds along with it. They seemed out of place here. Jackson felt like they were the first clouds (besides the purple storm clouds of the shadows' world) that he had seen since he moved here. It was still just about warm enough to sit outside without needing a coat to shelter in, though.

"Well I for one just can't wait to kick some more shadow butt." Alex said enthusiastically, "Its been days since we saw some action, and I feel great! I feel like I could take on the whole shadow world myself!"

"I'm sure you do." Jackson said, "But that's not how its going to go down. I'm not having you steal all the glory."

"Right now I don't think any of us are capable of stealing a fraction of the glory." Sam chimed in.

"Why do you always have to be so negative?" Alex pouted.

"Yeah, spoil sport." Jackson winked.

"Alright. Would you prefer if I was more like you two?" She cleared her throat, stood up, and in her best impression of Alex and Jackson's immature excitement, she proclaimed, "I'm gonna go beat up all the monsters and then maybe women will take me seriously because that's clearly the only thing they admire in a man! HUUUURGH." She pretended to flex her muscles.

"Well that's just mean." Jackson smiled.

"Cut-throat." Alex agreed.

Sam took a sarcastic bow, and sat down again.

"You're still game to come to the shadow world later though, right?" Alex asked.

"Of course." She replied, "You can swing by my parents house later and help me bust out."

"Can't you just sneak out yourself?"

"With three bags of medical supplies? You don't know my parents, but when I'm summoned to a dinner, they don't like me breathing without them knowing about it. So I'll need you to create a distraction for me."

"Why have you got three bags?" Jackson asked, "We're not going on an expedition."

"One for each of us." She said, "I'm not being the only one stuck on nurse duty. Plus, I figure it'd be helpful if we all have something to carry supplies in when we're exploring in there. What if we find something useful?"

"Don't you remember what Ray said?" Alex explained, "Nothing from the shadow world can come back into this world."

"No, but there could be things we can use against the shadows there, you never know." She said.

"Ok, ok." Jackson said, "We'll help you sneak out. I'll have Ray ring the door and pretend to be a door-to-door salesman or something. We'll tell him to be really persistent, so that should keep your parents busy."

"Genius." Sam said, "They'll hate that."

"Then me and Alex can wait by a window at the side of the house and help you sneak out."

"Sounds unnecessarily complicated." Alex smiled, "I'm in."

"I mean think about it, what could possibly go wrong?" Jackson laughed.

Lunch ended, and Jackson spent his remaining lessons with Alex. They discussed the poor state of the plan they had formed until school ended, and then headed back to the flats to convince Ray to help them bust Sam out of spending an evening with her parents' friends.


	13. Chapter XIII

** C**hapter XIII: The Escape Plan.

_***Evening***_

"I think we're almost there." Jackson said, as he, Alex, and Ray turned the corner of a suburban street on the outskirts of Falcon City. They had caught two buses just to get to this neighborhood, and it was unlike any part of the city that Jackson had ever seen. Houses lined the deserted streets. It was getting dark, so the only real light came from the streetlights, the houses' windows, or the faint glow from the centre of the city, now a distant speck at the other end of the great lake, which separated the residential areas of Falcon from the more busy parts of the city where Jackson lived and attended school.

The houses here were all noticeably large, and their gardens meticulously well kept. The driveways seemed more like country lanes winding through rich green grass or shapely bushes. Even in the dark, the three could see the intricate brickwork and the ornate window frames of each house. They stood like proud soldiers against the evening sky, all lined precisely parallel to the road.

"Fancy." Alex noted. He clearly felt very out of place. Royal Springs was a very well regarded school, and wealth was never far from its halls, but even for Jackson and Alex, this was intimidating.

"Who is this girl!?" Ray asked rhetorically, as they came to another turning.

"She said it should be just at the end of this road." Jackson said, "What time is it? The guests arrive at seven, so we need to get her out before then."

Alex checked his watch, "We've got about a half hour."

They came to the end of the street, and ducked behind a hedge that lined the front garden of the farthest house.

"This must be it." Jackson whispered.

"Whoa, this place looks huge!" Alex said quietly.

The hedge ran along the edge of a long stretch of grass, divided perfectly in two by a gravel pathway. The grass was, even in this low light, a bright and vibrant green, kept in such a state by the countless sprinklers that nursed the blades' thirst at regular intervals. Along each side ran flowerbeds dense with bright colours. The pathway opened out towards the front of the house, and reached around the sides, presumably meeting up with the back garden on the other side.

"Alright, I'll text Sam." Jackson said, "She should have her cell on silent, so when she feels it vibrate, she'll know we're here, but her parents won't notice it ringing." He composed the message and pressed 'send'.

"Ok." Alex nodded, "Which window do we meet her by?"

Jackson squinted to get a better look at the house. "That one." He pointed at a window on the left side of the house. "Ray, wait here for the signal. When Alex and I reach the window, I'll call your cell. When it rings, you go to the door and distract the parents, just like we practiced."

"Sneaking out was a lot easier when I was your age." Ray joked.

"You're only a couple years older." Alex argued, but Jackson grabbed his arm to get his attention.

"Lets go." He whispered, and they walked alongside the hedge with their heads down, and headed towards the house.

"This is stupid." Alex moaned.

"Shh." Jackson swatted the air in Alex's direction. "Do you want to go the shadow world tonight or not?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Then you'll just have to help us get Sam out of this dinner with her parents this one time."

Alex pouted as they reached the window, "Fine." He gave Jackson a leg up over the hedge, and then proceeded to clamber over rather loudly.

"Shhhh." Jackson hissed, "You'll attract attention. This probably looks really shady."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it!" Alex whispered back, "You try climbing over a fucking hedge without making any noise."

Jackson laughed as quietly as he could. "Ok, ok, lets just concentrate."

"I really don't see what's so funny."

They quickly tiptoed up to the window, and ducked against the wall underneath it. Jackson got his phone ready, and plumed Ray's number in. "Okay, I'm gonna call him now." He said, and pressed the button. He held it to his ear and waited, "..It's ringing.."

.. He heard the ring tone three times before Ray rejected the call. "Good, I think he knows to go now." Jackson said.

"How do you know?" Alex asked.

"Because he hung up…"

"…Maybe it just rang out."

"…What do you mean?"

"I mean why didn't we arrange that he actually pick up and then you say 'okay go' and he could say 'ok, I'm going'… that way we wouldn't be sitting here thinking 'has he gone yet.'…For that matter, why didn't he just come with us and then go to the door. They aren't going to be watching the driveway to constantly make sure that any visitor arrives in the proper manner."

"Because..." Jackson paused, "Shut up, we're doing it my way."

"I just think it would have made more sense is all." Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, but this is more spy like." Jackson smiled, "Don't you feel like you're part of some super cool plot?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather feel like I'm part of some super cool plot that makes sense and where everyone actually knows what they're doing when-"

"Shhshhhshh I can hear footsteps." Jackson tapped Alex on the shoulder to get his attention. Ray's footsteps grew closer as he trudged down the gravel pass. There was the sound of a couple steps on stone, where Ray had reached the porch, and then Alex and Jackson heard the doorbell ring from inside the house. "Okay, he's there."

"So what do we do now?" Alex asked.

"We wait." Jackson replied. They waited for a few seconds, though with the adrenaline that seemed to accompany them on this childish mission, those seconds felt like hours. The doorbell rang again. Ray was clearly as impatient as the other two.

"Why aren't they answering the door?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. Just wait."

"…What if they have a maid? Or a butler?"

"Shhh..." Jackson leaned his head to the side of the house, trying to see what his ears could pick up on. But there was nothing. Suddenly he heard something beeping. "What's that?" He asked. It grew louder as he darted his eyes around to see if there was any sign of what was making the noise.

"Crap, sorry that's my cell phone." Alex admitted, and delved into his pocket, trying to fish it out. The beeping grew louder still.

"SHhhhh turn it off!" Jackson hissed, "Why isn't it on silent!?"

Alex pulled it out and flipped it open, "Crap, it's Ray! What's he doing!?"

"Hang up, don't answer it!" Jackson said nervously.

Alex pressed 'reject', and the two sat frozen for a moment in silence.. "What do we do?" Alex asked.

"I don't know." Jackson said. There was another pause…

Then they heard a noise at the front of the house. The sound of the front door opening.

"-Yes I'm answering the door now!" A voice called, "Sorry, what is it?" The voice was male, presumably Sam's father.

"Ah- yes" Ray's voice was startled. "C-can I interest you in-"

Alex and Jackson sighed in relief. "Thank god, he's doing it." Jackson said.

"Alright so what, do we just wait for Sam now?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, that's the plan." They sat and listened as Ray regained his composure, and really put on a show. His acting certainly sounded top notch. He was persistent in his act enough to drag both parents into the fake argument, and it wasn't long before a light came on in the room of the window above Jackson and Alex's heads.

There was a few seconds of rushed footsteps from inside the room, and then the window slid open above them, and Sam appeared, smiling down at them. "Hey, you guys okay?" She asked.

Jackson smiled, "Jesus, breaking you out of your own home is surprisingly nerve wracking."

"My parent's home." She corrected.

"Alright, pass us those bags." Alex said, and Sam handed them each a rucksack full to bursting with items that would come in handy on a shadow hunt. Then she clambered out of the window, one limb at a time.

"Let's go." She whispered, as she closed the window slowly behind her.

They threw their bags over the hedge and followed after them one by one. Then they ran as quietly as they could down to the street, making sure to keep their heads ducked under the hedge and out of the way.

"Alright, I'll call Ray." Alex said, and dialed the number. He told him to pretend that something had come up, and get out of there. The light from the house disappeared as the door closed and Ray could be heard running down the pathway.

"Lets go!" Sam hissed as Ray met up with them, and they all sprinted down the street and turned the corner, ramming their backs against a wall. Jackson peeped his head around the edge of the wall, and watched as lights began to come on inside the house.

Then Sam's phone rang. She rejected it, and there was a slight silence. "Right, shall we go fight some shadows then?" She asked.


	14. Chapter XIV

**C**hapter XIV: Foreboding.

_***Late Night***_

The city was different at night. The _star's satellite _was an entirely different place without the yellow glow of the sun lighting up its many stores and cafes; and the fluorescence of the artificial lights gave the place a much more synthetic feel. Jackson was suddenly very aware that this was the centre of Falcon City, and although the light of the working day was gone, the busyness that it was brimming with would continue to thrive throughout the night.

The group made their way through the hustle and bustle and the noise of the night, and gathered themselves together around the bench that they were beginning to become familiar with. They knew the cracks that rippled its wood, and where the varnish was peeling. They knew the plaque that had been rusted and scratched with age to a point where the inscription was almost illegible. Mostly, though, they knew the feeling that accompanied this bench. The invisible bubble of emptiness and fear that orbited its weakening frame, and the incredible sense of foreboding. As if the air around the bench itself knew where the four adventurers were going.

"Brr, its so cold here." Alex shivered, "This is why we shouldn't come at night. Plus, it's dangerous at night, I get worried when we come out in the city at this time."

"If you're afraid of a couple shady characters here, then maybe you shouldn't come and fight shadows over in the other world. Why not head home and have a nice mug of hot chocolate. It must be past your bed time by now." Jackson chuckled, as he took a handheld radio out of the bag that Sam had prepared for him.

"HaHaaa! Ladies and Gentlemen!" Alex proclaimed, "We got a comedy Genius over here! He'll make you feel three feet tall for one night only!" A few people turned their heads. Others had theirs turned directly to the ground, as they hurried away from the youths. "No takers." Alex smirked, "How surprising."

"Alex, please shut up, you're drawing attention to yourself." Sam pestered, "Alright guys, you should both have a radio in your bags which you can clip onto your waist."

"Already got it." Jackson said.

"Yeah, found mine." Alex added.

"Well, I've already got a radio, so." Ray said rather awkwardly.

"Ah yeah, sorry Ray, I only have three bags." Sam admitted, "Now these radios act like any other, but also have a walkie-talkie setting, meaning that not only do we each have a means in and out of the shadow world, but we can also contact each other if we get split up."

"Good thinking, Sam." Ray said, "Now everyone put your hand on this." He presented his radio, and they all placed their palms on the cold metal of its surface, as he turned the dial. They were engulfed by the shadow world once again.

"I guess I'll explain the other things in your bags when we need them." Sam said quietly, as she slipped the rucksack over her shoulders.

"Good." Ray said, "Everyone take your armor and weapon like last time."

They all took the relevant equipment from Ray's duffle bag, and prepared themselves.

Jackson looked around at the emptiness of this world. Even though they had come from a dark night, the world still seemed thick with blackness. No glowing streetlights guided them now. There was no light at all save for the eerie glow of the sky that was dampened by purple clouds.

"Hopefully we'll get to see some shadows with powers besides the basic Agi and Bufu skills you've already seen." Ray said confidently, as he began to head off in search of a fight, "There's a whole range of abilities that you can all learn."

"Sounds exciting." Sam said sarcastically.

"Come now, Sam don't be so negative." Ray insisted, "I have a good feeling about this night."

"Me too." Alex smiled, as he spun one of the throwing knives in his set around the fingers of his right hand.

"Lets just concentrate on the task at hand." Jackson concluded. "It's important that we get some worthwhile experience while we can."

They wandered through the world for a while, squinting into the fog in the hope of finding some shadows, but nothing stared back.

"It's too damn dark." Alex moaned, "I can't see a thing."

"There'll be something soon, don't you worry." Ray said.

"Guys, there should be a flashlight in each of your bags." Sam explained, as she pulled her flashlight out from between the zip of her rucksack, and showed it to them.

"Good thinking!" Jackson said, as he rummaged in his to find one.

Alex, Sam, and Jackson flickered their lights on, and shone them into the path ahead. Nothing was illuminated at first, but Jackson's beam soon picked out a pair of red eyes peering out from the window of what, in the real world, was a Starbucks.

The creature to which the eyes were attached leaped towards them, drifting through the windowpane as if it were water, leaving it perfectly intact behind.

"Ok guys, lets do this!" Ray called out, as they all took up their battle positions.

More of the creatures began to gather from the thick smoke around the group. They were similar in appearance to the very first shadows that Jackson and his friends encountered. They were large black blobs on the floor, guided only by the arms that reached out from under the ground around them. These blobs had different masks to the previous ones, though. More elaborately shaped, with curled edges and thin eye slits. They were known as Inspired Maya, and by the time the fight had begun, there were five of them facing the party.

"Ok, this will be different to the other fights we've experienced." Ray began, "These shadows are strong with wind based attacks. They'll probably try to hit you with Garu skills, which none of you are strong against, so watch out."

"What can we use?" Jackson asked.

"They'll be week to Zio skills, but none of you have any, so just use what you can." Ray suggested.

Alex ran in and threw his yo-yo in front of him, shouting, "Mabufu!" as it spun back into his palm. Proteus appeared and fired a wave of ice at the shadows from the tip of his gun. They all took the blow, but none were defeated. "Damn, guess they'll take more than that."

"Alright, here goes." Jackson pushed the button on his evoker, and Odysseus rose from the ground beneath them in a swarm of blue light. "Cleave!" Jackson commanded, as Odysseus sliced clean through one of the blobs, leaving the two halves of its body to disappear in a cloud of smoke. "Agh!" Jackson shouted, as he clutched his chest.

"Be careful what commands you use." Ray said, "Sometimes an attack may be a strain on your body."

"Thanks for the warning." Jackson grimaced sarcastically.

One of the blobs clawed mercilessly at Alex, who had no time to block. "Argh!" He shouted, as its sharp fingertips left thin red lines of blood down his chest. He kicked the shadow back. "They're fast!"

"Here, take this!" Sam said, as she threw a small med kit from her bag over to him.

"Thanks."

Another of the shadows raised one of its arms above its head and let out a monstrous cry.

"It's using magaru!" Ray shouted, but it was too late. An enormous wave of energy was already building around the floor of the three persona users, gluing them to the ground. Jackson felt an immense pressure rippling trough his bones from the tip of his head to the balls of his feet, as a great wind began to thunder around him. An unworldly green light shone from the floor beneath his feet, and the feet of his friends. Then, in an instant, they were all engulfed in the same green energy that shot up from the ground. Jackson felt the pressure of the wind crushing into his bones. It was like he was being pulled apart by some strange gravity. And then it was gone. Jackson and Alex sighed, holding tight to their chests as the breath returned to their lungs. But Sam fell to her knees and collapsed on the floor.

"Sam!" Jackson called, and he ran to her side.

Another of the shadows now made a move to attack, launching itself towards Jackson. "Look out, man!" Alex dived between Jackson and the oncoming shadow, and was thrown to the floor. He struck the hard cement with force enough to knock the wind from him, and he gasped in distress, trying to find it again.

Jackson knelt by Sam's side, and lifted her head with his hands. There was blood lining her body, staining the green emblem of her uniform to a rich crimson. "C'mon Sam, you've got to get up!" He shouted! He looked at Ray. "You have to help her!" He called.

"Get up and fight Jackson!" Ray shouted back, "This is not the time! The fight is still going on!"

"Fuck the fight, she's dying!" Jackson shouted in dismay, as the shadows began to loom over him. "There has to be something you can do!"

"Here!" Alex coughed, as he threw the med kit to Jackson.

"Thanks." He quickly pried the box open and began treating Sam's wounds. "C'mon Sam, you can do it. You're going to be ok, I promise."

"Oi! Shadow things!" Alex threw one of his knives at the shadows, and it pierced the creature's oily skin. They all turned to face him. "Yeah that's right, come over here you ugly little puddles!" he waved his arms above his head, and the monsters all began to crawl towards him, leaving Jackson and Sam free.

"C'mon Sam!" Jackson said, "C'mon!"

Her eyes were fading. She opened her mouth to speak, "Jackson, I-" But before she could finish, her eyes fell shut.

Jackson paused in disbelief as he felt her slip away...


	15. Chapter XV

**C**hapter XV: The Life I Choose.

Alex screamed in pain as one of the shadows clawed into his skin. He recoiled and clutched the wound it had left, crimson blood dripping between his fingers.

"Shit-" He coughed, "This is bad."

The shadows gathered together, as if plotting the best way to pick apart the three persona users. Jackson felt a cool chill run through his bones. He looked down at Sam's lifeless face through thick tears. "What do I do, what do I do!?" He thought to himself, the adrenaline drowning beneath sadness and shock. He felt sick.

"Jackson! Get beck in there!" Ray shouted, "Alex needs your help!"

"Sam's dead, Ray!" Jackson screamed, "Stop worrying about the shadows and get us out of here!"

"She's not dead, you idiot!" Ray called back, "Look!"

Jackson's eyes darted down and met Sam's. She smiled weakly up at him.

"What?-" Jackson began, but before he could finish, he and Sam were engulfed in a rich torrent of blue energy. Wind rippled between the strands of their hair.

"Guess that ring Ray gave me came in handy after all, huh?" Sam chuckled.

"Of course!" Alex grimaced, "Her ring means she can survive some attacks that would normally kill her!"

"Sorry if you were worried about me." Sam said, "I never wanted any of you to feel like you had to protect me. Not being able to fight the shadows like you and Alex can is so frustrating. But I guess I'm not as strong as you guys."

"That's not true." Jackson said reassuringly.

"Of course it is." Sam frowned, "The two of you are both so determined and so ready to face this. I spent so long trying to find out why I wanted to fight the shadows with you, that I missed out on what was right in front of me. I've not been doing this to rid the world of the shadows. You both seem to have that covered. I'm doing it because you two are the best friends I think I've ever had, and I wanted to spend time with you."

She stood up. "I mean don't get me wrong, I have loads of other friends. Ones that I've known longer, and ones that I've shared more with. But when you come from the kind of family that I come from, the people you meet are all very similar. I was fed up of being forced to be what my parents wanted me to be, and I'm fed up of being friends with the people my parents want me to be friends with."

She unzipped her rucksack, and reached inside, "To tell you the truth, I think I pretty much worked out what my evoker was a while back, I just didn't realise that it could be something so simple. Because the only thing that's important to me, and the only thing that gives me the strength to fight along side you guys, are the memories that we have together. They are my evoker."

She pulled a book out of the bag, and flicked the pages between her fingers, "And those memories are all inside this. My diary. You guys are the only two friends that I think I've ever made for myself, how sad is that? But the time we spend together is important to me, because it's the only time in my life where I've been myself, not what everyone else wants me to be." She snapped the book shut between her hands, and shards of shimmering glass shattered out from the tight slits between the pages. "This life of fighting the creatures of this world may not be how I pictured, but it's the life that I choose for myself."

Energy ran fast around her. The shards of glass fell neatly into the shape of a circle beneath her feet, and a figure began to appear behind her. It had a long mane of dark blue hair that fell down to the knees, and was clad in armour reminiscent of a roman soldier. Pale grey skin could be seen between the metal plates, and with one hand it wielded a sword so long that that it looked more like a lance. A tassel of red fur was hooked to the base of the sword's long hilt and a shinning blue line ran down the centre of its blade. The persona's facial features were hidden behind a full-face helmet, with horizontal slits for eyeholes and vertical slits running along the mouth, as if it were constantly screaming. Two horns of pale bone curved along the sides of the helmet, in line with the eyes, and two fluorescent cyan lines ran down the front of the persona, crossing through both eyes and ending at the tip of both feet. There was a small circular plate of armour in the centre of its chest, just above the breastplate.

"Thou art I," it said, in a more feminine voice than Alex or Jacksons' personas, "And I am Thou. Together, we are bound for a great journey. I am Athena, you are no longer alone."

"I knew you could do it!" Alex called. The shadows chose that moment to strike, and charged at the party. "Perso-" Alex began.

"Wait!" Ray called, "It seems Sam's Persona is strong with lightening moves! Sam, tell Athena to-"

"I've got this." Sam smiled confidently, as she pointed at the oncoming monsters, "Mazio!" She shouted, and Athena jumped into action, lifting her mighty sword high into the air, and sending long lines of electricity from its tip straight towards the shadows. Each creature was stopped in their tracks, and bombarded with bolts of lightening which left them all nothing more then puffs of black smoke.

Everyone sighed in relief. Jackson smiled, and hugged Sam as Athena faded away, leaving behind countless green butterflies, which all disappeared into the purple of the sky.

"Don't ever do that to me again." Jackson smiled.

"I wont." Sam looked deep into Jackson's eyes and he felt happier in that moment then he could ever remember feeling.

"Agh!" Alex coughed blood and fell to his knees.

"Alex!" The other's shouted, and ran to his side.

"He's pretty badly injured. He took most of the damage in that fight for you two." Ray said.

"I'll be ok." Alex said weakly.

"We have to get you to a hospital." Jackson said, and he pulled the handheld radio from his belt.

"Wait, we may not have to." Ray said, "As luck would have it, Sam's persona knows some healing skills.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Yes, if you summon her now, and use Media, then you should all be back in perfect health." Ray replied.

Sam took out her Diary, and clutched it tight. "Media!" She called, and Athena once again appeared before them all. The persona gestured at the group, and they were all hit with a wave of energy.

It was like nothing Jackson had ever felt. All the pains in his body, and the aching in his bones were washed away in an instant, like a message in the sand.

Alex looked down at his hands, which had just moments ago been covered in blood. He had never looked healthier. None of them had. Athena faded away.

"Good." Ray said, "That should also decrease the resting period for Sam after summoning her persona."

"Resting peri-" Sam stopped mid sentence, as she fell slowly to the floor, unconscious.

Jackson caught her before she hit the ground. "Sam!" He called.

"Don't worry." Ray said, "That's completely normal. Summoning a persona for the first time can be a strain on your body, I'm sure you both experienced it?"

"Yeah, you were out for days." Alex smiled at Jackson.

"Yeah, but I was first, so." He stuck his tongue out jokingly in response.

"Well after that healing spell, she should be fine after a good night's sleep. I suggest we take her home." Ray said. They put all their things back in Ray's bag, and Alex brought them back to the real world by turning the radio to a random frequency.

"What are we gonna tell her parents?" Alex asked.

"We'll figure something out." Jackson said. They took Sam back to her parents' house, where they were met with a scolding like nothing they had every heard. The couple were more happy to see their daughter returned to them relatively safely, though, and Ray covered up the truth by saying that she had had too much to drink, and they were merely making sure she got home alright. On the way back to the apartments they talked about how unfavourably Sam would take to that excuse when she found out about it in the morning, but decided it was a problem for another time. Right now they all needed to go to bed, and that's exactly what they did.


	16. Chapter XVI

** C**hapter XVI: A Strange Dream Part Two.

_ ***?***_

Jackson could feel the soft embrace of his pillowcase, and the warmth of his sheets. He closed his eyes. There was nothing but darkness for some time.

It was a dense darkness, one that seemed oddly familiar. It lingered as Jackson opened his eyes, and not even the light of the clock beside his bed seemed able to break it. He rolled over, and reached out to claw at the lamp on his table, but his hand slapped down onto a cold, hard floor. His sheets seemed to drift away as a chilling breeze blew past him. He slowly got to his feet, and looked around.

And then he saw it. At first it was a tiny light in the immeasurable distance. But as it grew closer, he could make out its form. It was a small, green butterfly, flying gracefully towards him. The flutter of its tiny wings broke the silence, and Jackson reached out a hand, as the butterfly came to a rest on the end of his finger.

A voice cracked through Jackson's head. It was a calm, male voice, with a hint of mystery hanging on the end of each word. It said, "How strange that you have eluded me for so long, Jackson Blake."

Jackson was stunned. His eyes darted around, but he could see no figure from which the voice came. Was he dreaming? He hadn't fallen asleep, he was sure of it.

The voice spoke again, "I see you have awoken to the power of persona without my knowing. How very inspiring." Jackson looked down at his hand, and the butterfly had gone. He heard a flutter of wings beside his ear, and he turned on his heel to see the butterfly slowly flying away from him.

"It seems you all now have the strength you need to take on this burden." The voice was quieter now, "I would be interested to find out how you came by this. I will be watching you all carefully." The voice had all but faded away now.

"Who are you?" Jackson asked, but his own voice seemed to startle him, as if it had woken him from a nightmare, and he found himself back in his room again. "Was it a dream?" He asked himself. The familiarity of the experience worried him most, though. He could have sworn he'd been there before.

He could feel the soft embrace of his pillowcase, and the warmth of his sheets. He closed his eyes. There was nothing but darkness for some time, as he drifted off to sleep.

_***Saturday, October 4th: Early Morning**_*

The buzzing of Jackson's cell phone against the table woke him, and he scooped it up. Sam was calling him. He slid the green 'answer' bar across the screen, and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" He mumbled, wiping his eyes with a balled fist.

"I'm in my room?" She sounded a little confused.

"Yeah?"

"Did you put me in my bed?... When did… I'm a little unsure what's going on here."

"Oh, haha." Jackson sat up in his bed, "You passed out after awakening to your persona, and so we took you home. Your parents were piiiiiiiiissed."

"Oh god." Sam chuckled, "What did you tell them?"

"Ray told them you were drunk."

"What!?" Sam was startled, "They're gonna slaughter me!"

"You'd rather we told them the truth?"

"No..." There was a long pause. "Hey, so Jackson..."

"Yeah?"

"I had this weird dream last night." Sam said.

Jackson stopped. A weird dream? It couldn't have been… "Go on."

"Well there was this butterfly, and a strange voice. It knew my name."

"I had the same dream!" Jackson shouted.

"You did? Oh man, this is weird!"

"I'll bet Alex had it too. We should all meet up."

"Yeah… I'll meet you guys in town in like two hours and we'll talk about it then."

"Ok, cool." Jackson agreed, "Hey, at least you remember everything that happened when you awoke to your persona."

"Yeah." Sam said, "Crap, my Mom's calling me from downstairs. I'll see you later."

"Ok, bye." Jackson said. He heard Sam hang up, and put his phone back beside his bed. He looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "How could she have had the same dream?" He thought to himself. There was no denying that it had happened now, though. Jackson remembered it all perfectly. The butterfly, the voice, and what it had said. But what did it all mean? He lay back in his bed, and pulled the sheets over his eyes, hoping for a few more minutes of sleep before he had to face the day.

_***Morning***_

Ray wasn't in, so Jackson felt he could approach Alex about the dream he and Sam had both shared that night.

"Hey, man." He said, waving lazily at Alex, who sat at the kitchen table eating cereal.

"Mornin'." Alex replied. The tiny kitchen was a mess. The three boys had neither the time nor the energy to take proper care of it, and so dirty dishes lined the sideboards, and the sink was piled high with cutlery and glasses. Jackson pulled a chair out from under the table, and it screeched across the hard floor.

"You sleep ok?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, I suppose. Yourself?"

"You sure? No weird dreams?"

"Well, yeah, but I mean my whole life is weird dreams." Alex frowned, "Why?"

"I just wondered." There was a silence for a while. Jackson took the cleanest bowl he could find and filled it with cereal and milk, and grabbed a spoon that looked safe enough, before returning to his seat at the table. "I had this dream that kinda freaked me out."

"Go on."

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure it was a dream."

"…I think I know what you mean…"

"Really?" Jackson leaned forward slightly, "Did you dream of a weird voice? And there was blackness and then a butterfly, like the ones we saw when we summoned our personas for the first time.

"Yes!" Alex shouted, "I had the same dream!"

"Sam had it too!" Jackson said, "It must be to do with our personas and the shadows."

"That's creepy, man. We should talk to Ray about this, maybe he had it too."

"Yeah, maybe." Jackson returned to his cereal, "I told Sam we'd meet her in a bit so we can talk about it then."

They caught a tram into the centre of the city. It hummed through the streets and carried them past tall buildings and busy commuters, glistening like mercury in the sunlight.

Sam was waiting for them at the mall where they had arranged to meet.

"Hey." She greeted.

"How were your parents?" Jackson asked.

"Very, very angry." Sam said, "But I don't live there anymore so I can just stay out of their way for a while."

They all sat around a table, and bought coffee. Alex spoke first.

"So Jackson said we all had the same dream." He said, as he pulled the lid from the cardboard cup that housed his beverage.

"Yeah.." Sam said, "You think it's got something to do with the _forgotten frequency_?"

"I should think so." Jackson nodded, "It's too big of a coincidence to not be. The question is, who- or what- is behind it?"

"You think someone's trying to get into contact with us?" Alex asked.

"I think they've succeeded to." Jackson said, "Look, I don't know weather it was the same for you two, but the voice told me that we all 'have what we need to take on this burden' or something. Surely that means it knows we all have personas. It contacted us the night Sam awoke to hers, that can't be a coincidence."

"Yeah it told me the same thing." Alex said.

"Well then whoever it is, they must have been following us for some time." Sam said, with concern filling her face.

"But how? Who has that kind of power?" Jackson asked.

"Another persona user?" Alex suggested.

"Maybe." Sam said, "Or a shadow? Could it have been the archangel?"

"The shadows are stuck in their world, they can't get to us here." Jackson said.

"Maybe we should talk to Ray about it? What if he had the same dream?" Alex asked.

"He doesn't have a persona, so I doubt it. It said we all have what we need, but if that does mean our personas then Ray couldn't possibly be included." Jackson reasoned.

"Well whatever it is, there's nothing we can do about it now." Sam said.

"Yeah, at the moment it doesn't seem like whoever it is that talked to us in that dream means us any harm." Jackson said, "It just said it'd keep a close eye on us, so I vote we just sit it out for a bit and see if anything else crops up that might help us work out what's going on."

"Agreed." Alex said, "Then if we don't find anything else out, we can always talk to Ray about it."

"Ok, deal." Jackson said, and sipped his coffee. The conversation turned to lighter topics, as the day moved on around them. After the events of the last few days, the three of them were just welcome of some time that they could spend how they wanted, without having to worry about fighting the shadows. The next few nights had nothing to surprise Jackson or his friends with. The voice in the dream, it seemed, would not be returning for some time.


End file.
